Jackson Comes From Behind To Win On Grand Lake

GROVE, Okla. – Bryan Jackson came from behind to win the Boater Division in the American Bass Anglers Open Series, Presented by Caymas Boats, 2-day Area 7 Championship, held Sept. 24-25, 2022, at Grand Lake in Grove, Okla.

The anglers from Oklahoma Division 14 ran out of Wolf Creek Park to fish the 46,500-acre impoundment. Jackson from Monett, Mo. brought in a perfect 10-bass, 2-day limit weighing 32 pounds for a 3.20-pound average. 

Jackson held third on Day 1 with 14.51 pounds topped by a 4.44-pounder, the third largest bass caught that day. Going into the second day slightly less than two pounds behind the lead, he landed 17.49 pounds, the largest single-day sack in the tournament. That gave him the win by more than two pounds. 

“I was fishing deep brush in 10 to 15 feet of water,” Jackson explained. “I used two baits, a big worm and a Senko, both fished very slowly. It took a lot of patience to let the Senko fall that far. Once it got to the brush, I popped it a couple times and let it fall again. That’s when the bite happened. I caught six keepers on Day 1 and five the final day.”

Nick W. Kincaid of Coweta, Okla. held second among the boaters both days. He finished with two consecutive 5-bass daily tournament limits for 29.74 pounds. 

On Day 1, Kincaid landed 15.05 pounds. He anchored that sack with a 5.60-pound largemouth, the biggest bass brought to the scale on the first day of the tournament. He followed that effort with a 14.69-pound catch on the final day.

“On the first day, I caught all my better fish on topwater baits, shaky heads and Biffle Bugs,” Kincaid reported. “Fishing was slower on the second day. The wind blew harder and we really had to pay attention to detect the bites. Everything I caught on Day 2 came off wood structure in two to eight feet of water with a shaky head tipped with a Zoom trick worm.”

Day 1 leader Josh M. Teply from Harrah, Okla. dropped to third place with 10 bass weighing 26.14 pounds. On the first day, Teply landed the second-heaviest sack of the event at 16.47 pounds. On the second day, the division Angler of the Year caught five keepers for 9.67 pounds. 

“I went up the river and flipped laydowns,” Teply revealed. “The water was much shallower and dirty up that way. It’s the inlet area for the lake. I fished in less than four feet of water the entire time and caught my fish on a brush hog or a glide bait. I caught 30 keepers on the first day and 15 the last day.”

Taking the fourth spot for the boaters, James “Toby” Hartsell from Afton, Okla. brought in 10 keepers for a 2-day limit weighing 25.67 pounds. He held sixth place on Day 1 with 12.13 pounds. Catching 13.54 pounds on Day 2 bumped him up two levels and put $500 in his pocket.

Rounding out the top five boaters, Eli H. Brumnett from Wagoner, Okla. held that fifth spot both days. He ended the event with 10 bass and 25.16 pounds. On the first day, he landed 12.66 pounds. He added 12.50 the final day.

Colton D. Coale from Blanchard, Okla. finished ninth among the boaters with six bass weighing 19.87 pounds, but he landed the tournament lunker the second day. That 6.91-pound largemouth. He caught a 4.94-pounder the first day.

In the Co-Angler Division, Shane W. Cashman of Henryetta, Okla. set the pace both days. He won with five bass going14.19 pounds, beating his nearest competitor by nearly two pounds.

Cashman led on the first day with a 3-bass daily division limit weighing 9.32 pounds, the heaviest single-day bag of any co-angler. This sack included a 4.03-pound kicker that took the division big bass title. Cashman caught two keepers for 4.87 pounds on the final day to earn. He also earned his division Angler of the Year title.

“I fished jigs in shallow water both days,” Cashman said. “I flipped them in heavy cover, but I did get a few bites on a buzzbait early each day. Only one of those fish made it to the stage. On the final day, my first fish hit a jig at about 8 a.m. The second came at 2 p.m. I lost one that day, but I didn’t need it.”

In second for the co-anglers, Melvin D. Camp from Talihina, Okla. scored two consecutive 3-bass daily tournament limits for 12.39 pounds to win $450. Camp held sixth place on Day 1 with 4.52 pounds. He jumped four spots on Day 2 with a 7.87-pound catch. His Day 2 catch including a 3.36-pound kicker, the third largest bass caught in the event by a co-angler.

Scott M. Bruce of Wagoner, Okla. finished third for the co-anglers with a perfect 2-day limit of six bass weighing 12.25 pounds. Bruce sat in fourth place on Day 1 with 5.30 pounds including one 1.96-pounder. On the last day, he added 6.95 pounds to move up a notch.

Taking the fourth position, Al Longoria from Pottsboro, Texas, finished with six bass tallying 11.37 pounds. He held second on Day 1 with 6.96 pounds including a 2.67-pounder. On the last day, he added 4.41 pounds to his total. 

In fifth for the co-anglers, Chris Megee from Royal, Ark. ended the tournament with a perfect six bass going 9.81 pounds. Megee held ninth place on Day 1 with 3.54 pounds. He caught 6.27 pounds on the final day, jumping up four places.

For more information about this tournament, call Tournament Director Chris Wayand at (256) 230-5627.

American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Garmin Electronics, Power Pole, Lucas Oil, RT Outdoors, Sportsman Card, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com and LurePartsOnline.com.

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and, at the same time, offering each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression.

For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Open Series, the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406

This story was written by ABA staff writer John N. Felsher. To submit articles of interest email info@americanbassanglers.com.