April 26, 2022-XBS News
APOPKA, Fla- We’re reaching the halfway point of the 2022 season for the Xtreme Bass Series, which mean’s we’re halfway to the 2022 Blazer Boats XBS Championship presented by Mercury Marine. Don’t worry though, there is still a lot of time left to get your qualification events in before the end of the season! Teams who compete in 7 of 9 events in one division, or 8 events in a combination of all divisions will earn an invite to the end of season classic. Check out the Event Calendar for upcoming events so you don’t miss out on an opportunity to compete for a new Blazer 595 Pro Elite powered by a Mercury Pro XS! Now, let’s catch up on some events from the past month!
Justin Neal & Mike Neal
Justin Neal and Mike Neal topped the field in the Garcia divisional event on March 26th. The duo weighed a 26.39 pound, 5 bass limit to take the victory. Chris Irwin and Junior Nottenkamper finished in second place with a 25.99 pound, 5 bass limit. They anchored their runner up bag with the day’s Big Bass, a 6.80 pound kicker. Jeremy Shekell and Austin Shekell rounded out the Top 3 with a 20.86 pound, 5 bass limit.
Richard Yarborough & Harmon Young
Richard Yarborough and Harmon Young took home a victory during the March 26th event for the Harris Division. The duo weighed a 20.22 pound, 5 bass limit, anchoring their bag with the day’s Big Bass, a 7.82 pound kicker. Doug Sarver and Marsha Sarver weighed 19.84 pounds to take home a second place finish, followed by Jimmy Frye and Gino Losi who rounded out the Top 3 with 18.50 pounds.
Joey Johnson & Dave Cutler
Dave Cutler and Joey Johnson stacked up a 22.82 pound, 5 bass limit during the March 27th event for the Citrus Division at Floral City to win the division’s third event of the season. Blake Briscoe and Brad Briscoe followed behind in second place with an 18.07 pound, 5 bass limit. Eddie Englehart and Greg Hughes rounded out the Top 3 with 12.98 pounds. Beau Gallent and Dillon Webb took home Big Bass honors with a 7.46 pound kicker.
Jeremy Smith & Jim Folks
Jim Folks and Jeremy Smith took home a win during the second event of the season for the Toho Division on March 27th. The 3-time Xtreme Bass Series Champions weighed a 21.73 pound, 5 bass limit to secure their victory. Mark Sills and Robby Engel finished in second place with 17.95 pounds, followed by Mike Clark and Travis Sparks in third place with 17.51 pounds. Clark and Sparks took home big bass honors for the day with an 8.15 pound lunker.
Mike Porter & Chris Maxwell
Chris Maxwell and Mike Porter smashed a 26.09 pound, 5 bass limit to best the field at the Lake Toho divisional event on April 3rd. The event was the make-up from the postponed event in January. Jim Folks and Jeremy Smith walked away with a second place finish, weighing a 21.35 pound bag. Ron Shakespeare and Jarrod Albright rounded out the Top 3 with 19.81 pounds and edged out the Big Bass award with a 7.34 pound kicker.
Jesse Smith & Colby Evans
Colby Evans and Jesse Smith won back to back events for the Central Florida division at the April 3rd event at Lake Juliana. The duo weighed an 18.13 pound, 5 bass limit to top the field. Daniel Garcia and Robert Garcia finished in second place with 17.28 pounds, followed by Rob Van Horn and Ed Van Horn in third place with 16.55 pounds. Eddie Yearry and Gary Yearry, Sr. took home Big Bass honors with an 8.72 pound lunker. The next event for the Central Florida division is scheduled for Sunday May 15th at the North Winter Haven Chain.
Eric Gaines & Jeff French
Eric Gaines and Jeff French smashed a 29.16 pound, 5 bass limit on Lake Istokpoga to take home the win during the 4th divisional event of the season on April 3rd. Cody Craig and Brad Day finished in second place with a 25.87 pound, 5 bass limit. Kyle Wieczorek and Greg Jones rounded out the Top 3 with 23.30 pounds. Steve Coleman and Demitri Hart weighed an 8.33 pound lunker to take home Big Bass honors for the event. The next event for the Istokpoga division is scheduled for Sunday May 1st.
Brian Nelson and Don Fisher topped the field at the John’s Lake divisional event on April 3rd. The duo weighed a solid 21.21 pound, 5 bass limit in their win. They also took home Big Bass honors, anchoring their bag with a 7.33 pound kicker. Second place went to the team of Grant Truax and Donnie Lease with an 18.53 pound, 5 bass limit. Jesse Harris and Carina Harris finished the day in third place with a 16.14 pound, 5 bass limit. The next event for the John’s Lake division is scheduled for Sunday May 1st.
John Acree
John Acree took to Rodman Reservoir solo for the April 3rd event of the St. John’s/Rodman division and bested the field with a 15.97 pound, 5 bass limit to secure a first place finish. Gerald Boyd and Jason Gutierrez inked a second place finish with 15.08 pounds, anchored by the event’s Big Bass, a 5.36 pound kicker. Jesse Williams and Deryl Williams rounded out the Top 3 with 14.33 pounds. The next event for the St. John’s/Rodman division is scheduled for May 7th at Palatka City Docks.
Dempsey Allen and Bryant Allen got the better of the Suwannee River division on April 10th. The Allen’s topped the field with a 12.91 pound, 5 bass limit. Reigning Team of the Year winners Joey Pate and Logan Pate took home a second place finish with an 11.81 pound, 5 bass limit. The father/son duo anchored their bag with a 4.70 pound kicker to take Big Bass honors as well. David Courtemanche and Kirk Davis rounded out the Top 3 with 10.37 pounds. The next event for the Suwannee River division is scheduled for June 12th out of Fanning Springs. For those who wish to fish the Suwannee River before the next event, be sure to check out the Suwannee River Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament on April 30th.
Tracy Bray and Jason Liggett (cover photo) knocked out a win in the last Kissimmee divisional event on April 10th. The duo weighed a 26.49 pound, 5 bass limit to take home the victory. John Stahl and Casey Gonzalez landed in the runner up spot with 22.96 pounds, anchored by an 8.63 pound lunker. That fish earned Stahl and Gonzalez the Big Bass honor for the day. Lonnie Mead and Jim Topmiller rounded out the Top 3 with 22.31 pounds. The next event for the Kissimmee division is scheduled for May 8th at Camp Mack.
Blake Otterson & Richard Newberry
Richard Newberry and Blake Otterson earned a win at the Lake Tarpon divisional event on April 16th. Newberry and Otterson weighed a 19.89 pound, 5 bass limit to top the field. Gary Munchler and Richard Anthony finished in second place with 18.33 pounds, anchoring their bag with a 6.40 pound kicker that won Big Bass honors. Ryan Cooper and Ty Cooper rounded out the Top 3 with 14.08 pounds. The next divisional event for Lake Tarpon is scheduled for Sunday, May 15th.
George Short & Junior Solis
George Short and Junior Solis smashed a 28.93 pound, 5 bass limit at the April 16th Garcia divisional event to take home first place. John Armour & Howard Lowery finished in second with 23.61 pounds, followed by Chris Irwin and Junior Nottenkamper in third place with 23.19 pounds. Armour and Lowery took home Big Bass honors with their 7.65 pound kicker. The next event for the Garcia division is scheduled for May 14th.
Tommy Studstill and Bryan Lewis came back for revenge at the Orange/Lochloosa divisional event on April 23rd. The duo smashed over 33 pounds during the 3rd stop for the division, but it was only enough for a third place finish. They topped the field in the most recent event though, weighing a 26.08 pound, 5 bass limit. They anchored their bag with a 12.31 pound giant to sweep the field and take Big Bass honors for the day. They edged out the team of Joe Yarborough and Dewayne Moore who finished in second place with 26.06 pounds. Rounding out the Top 3 was the team of Deryl Williams & Tyler Griffis with 25.89 pounds. Notables from the event was Tony Davis and Mike Davis’ 10.97 pound lunker, as well as Scott Adams and Steven Adams’ 12.27 pound giant! The next event for the Orange/Lochloosa division is scheduled for May 14th.
Marlon Crowder & Kolbi Morgan
Marlon Crowder and Kolbi Morgan bested the field in the Toho divisional event on April 24th. Crowder and Morgan weighed a 26.23 pound, 5 bass limit to secure the victory. Jim Folks and Jeremy Smith finished in second place, weighing a 24.62 pound bag. Third place went to the team of Chad Schroeder and Anthony Cilladi with 18.31 pounds. Big Bass honors was earned by the father/son team of Rodney and Aaron Yavorsky with a 7.89 pound kicker. The next event for the Toho division is scheduled for May 22nd.
Cody Halstead & Junior Messer
The Citrus division fished Lake Henderson on April 24th. Cody Halstead and Junior Messer walked away with the win, catching a 19.51 pound, 5 bass limit. Halstead and Messer also inked Big Bass honors with a 9.63 pound lunker. Chris Prowant and Brice Prowant took a second place finish with 14.20 pounds, followed by Tom Sarver and John Sarver in third place with 13.91 pounds. The next event for the Citrus division is scheduled for May 29th at Lake Hernando.
Upcoming Events
Saturday April 30th: Harris Chain
Saturday April 30th: Suwannee River Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament
Sunday May 1st: Istokpoga
Sunday May 1st: John’s Lake
Saturday May 7th: St. John’s River
Sunday May 8th: Lake Kissimmee
Saturday May 14th: Orange/Lochloosa
Saturday May 14th: Garcia
Sunday May 15th: Central Florida-North Winter Haven Chain
Sunday May 15th: Lake Tarpon
Thursday May 19th: Wolfson Children’s Hospital-Lad’s and Lasses
Friday May 20th: Wolfson Children’s Hospital-VIP & Friends
Saturday May 21st: Wolfson Children’s Hospital Annual Bass Tournament
Sunday May 22nd: Lake Toho
Saturday May 28th: Harris Division
Sunday May 29th: Lake Hernando
The Xtreme Bass Series is the largest grassroots bass tournament trail across Florida, featuring 12 divisions and 108 events throughout the season. Anglers can compete in close-to-home events on local bodies of water, keeping costs down and affording them the opportunity to compete in the end of season championship. Anglers who compete in 7 of 9 events in one division, or 8 events in a combination of divisions will qualify for a chance to fish for a new Blazer 595 Pro Elite powered by a 200 HP Mercury Pro XS package at the championship event. The 2022 Championship will be held November 3-5 at Lake Okeechobee. Teams who compete in 12 or more events during the season will qualify for a chance to win the Michael J. Blocher Memorial Award during the championship event. Membership is $35.00 per angler, $120.00 entry per event. Xtreme Bass Series is proud to partner with Blazer Boats, Mercury Marine, Power-Pole, Fitzgerald Fishing, Bill Lewis Lures, and Catch Commander.
For complete details and updated information, visit www.XtremeBassSeries.com. For continuous updates, results, photos, information, tournament news, and more, follow Xtreme Bass Series social media on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
