November 14, 2019 by Midwest Fish Tournaments

The Big Bass Bash is proud to announce AFTCO as the title sponsor for the 2020 Big Bass Bash events at Lake of the Ozarks and Pickwick Lake. "We are thrilled to have one of the top fishing apparel companies on board with the Big Bass Bash," said Charlie Terrell, co-owner of the Big Bass Bash. "AFTCO represents quality and performance, and their apparel will now be implemented into all of our bonus t-shirts sold at the Lake of the Ozarks and Pickwick Lake Big Bass Bash events." 

AFTCO is a family owned and operated company headquartered in Santa Ana, CA. AFTCO represents unparalleled quality, performance and reliability when it counts most. Worn across the globe, AFTCO's fishing clothing is designed to handle the harshest elements. Whether you're an elite professional bass angler looking to stay dry in a late fall downpour or an offshore weekend warrior seeking protection from the sun's harmful UV rays, AFTCO keeps you fishing comfortably.

AFTCO provides conservation leadership & innovative products proven to deliver performance on the water. AFTCO and the Shedd family contribute more than 10% of company profits to fishing conservation, protecting our resources, and ensuring a sustainable fishery for future generations through their 10% Pledge to Protect & Conserve.

The 2020 AFTCO Spring Big Bass Bash at Lake of the Ozarks will be held on April 18-19, 2020, and the 2020 AFTCO Fall Big Bass Bash at Lake of the Ozarks will take place on October 3-4, 2020.

The 2020 AFTCO Big Bass Bash at Pickwick/Wilson Lake is scheduled for March 21-22, 2020.

About AFTCO:

Family owned and operated, the American Fishing Tackle Company (AFTCO) represents unparalleled quality, performance and reliability when it counts most. Worn across the globe, AFTCO's fishing clothing is designed to handle the harshest elements. Whether you're an elite professional bass angler looking to stay dry in a late fall downpour or an offshore weekend warrior seeking protection from the sun's harmful UV rays, AFTCO keeps you fishing comfortably. AFTCO products are field tested from our Southern California offices where many of our core products are still proudly handcrafted and manufactured in our U.S.-based machine shop.
AFTCO reflects a legacy of firsts. From our former company Chairman Milt Shedd's pioneering conservation achievements, to the invention of the roller guide and the introduction of the world's first pair of true fishing shorts, AFTCO provides conservation leadership & innovative products proven to deliver performance on the water. Our passion for the outdoors goes beyond our product offering because of an unwavering commitment to help protect our fishing resources and angler rights. Through our 10% Pledge to Protect and Conserve, your purchase of any AFTCO product directly supports conservation initiatives.

For more information on AFTCO, visit www.aftco.com

About BIG BASS BASH:

Midwest Fish Tournaments, established in 2006, is a family owned and operated company out of St. Louis, MO. Midwest Fish Tournaments hosts the Anglers in Action Tournament Trail and one of the largest bass tournaments in the country, the Big Bass Bash.
The Big Bass Bash is geared primarily towards the novice angler. Its unique format allows the weekend angler a chance to win big money like the professionals. Unlike most fishing tournaments which have a team arrangement where prizes are based on total weight, our format is distinctive in that it only takes one fisherman just one big bass to win. The Big Bass Bash draws anglers from across the country, with family oriented events, large cash payouts, and generous annual donations to local and regional charities.

For more information on the Big Bass Bash, visit www.bigbassbash.com

 2019 ANGLERS IN ACTION TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
PRESENTED BY RANGER BOATS

The 2019 Anglers in Action season has now come to an end, and what a great season it was.
We want to thank all of the anglers and sponsors that supported the trail this year, without
you all it simply would not be possible. From all of us at AiA, we thank you!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ROB BUELTMANN & BEN VERHOEF,
YOUR 2019 ANGLERS IN ACTION TOURNAMENT TRAIL CHAMPIONS

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS ON THIS EVENT

 ANGLERS IN ACTION TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS - PHOTO ALBUM

Tournament Recap:

Day One - Ben & Rob reported practicing only a half day each for this event, knowing that in the Fall on Lake of the Ozarks patterns change daily if not hourly, so they didn’t sink a bunch of time into pre-fishing for this event. Day one they had northwest winds and the lake level was rising. With those conditions, they went to an E-Factor 3/4 ounce spinnerbait and a Whopper Plopper, and caught 2 of their biggest fish of the weekend on those 2 lures that day. They rounded out their day one limit on a Davenport Special Chompers Jig in brush halfway back in the coves.

Day Two - The lake level was coming down so they decided to target off shore brush and rock piles with a 5/8 ounce Davenport Special Jig and a 1/2 ounce black/blue E-factor jig. They reported catching a limit early the final day, then the bite slowed. That afternoon they went to the a-rig, targeting big windy secondary points. Rob & Ben were able to make key culls late in the day, with one cull coming just 10 minutes before they had to head back to weigh-in. That last cull ended up bringing their 2 day total to 33.39 lbs., just enough to take first place and win the grand prize of a Ranger Z519 with Evinrude motor, Power Poles, electronics from Russell Marine, and $1,620.00 in sidepot winnings.

Congratulations to Rob Bueltmann & Ben Verhoef, your 2019 Anglers in Action champions.

Rob & Ben are Sponsored by: E-Factor, Fitz Fishing , Chompers, Lews , Strike King, 6th Sense, and Bassing Bob

Tournament Recap:

BJ Davis and Joe Waggoner reported using spinnerbaits and strike king crankbaits for the majority of the event, fishing points and deeper docks. They reported working a numerous areas of the lake, from Pb2 down to the Dam. 

BJ & Joe are sponsored by: Jewel Bait Company and Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock

Tournament Recap (from Mark Wilson):

We called this tourney the "Gut and Grind" tourney. We knew the lake had been stingy and bites were hard to come by. We knew we had to cover water or stick with what we both like to do and throw jigs. The bite was very slow and very tough, and the mental part of where to go and what to throw was always on our mind. We started down the lake Saturday throwing green pumpkin Croc-O-gator jigs in the brush off secondaries and pockets, that produced 2 small keepers, we worked our way back up the lake and had 8 keeper bites throughout the day. Sunday started off a bit different, we arrived at our starting point down the lake and another team came into the same area and we decided to go with our gut and make a move, we made a pretty good run up the lake to a spot we had found in practice and grind it out up there. That move proved to be the key move for us in the tourney, we had 2 spots that produced quality bites. We lost a quality fish around noon, ran to another spot and fished about 15 mins and we asked each other "think we need to go back?" and we both agreed to go back and "grind" it out. We knew the fish were there and felt that was our best chance to catch better fish. We ended up catching 2 quality bites later in the afternoon which bumped our weight to what we ended with.We are very blessed to be able to do what we do and enjoy this great sport. We want to give a special thanks to Jim and Denise Dill owners of Crock O Gator baits for going out of their way to hook us up with some jigs. Congrats to Rob and Ben on the win!! And thanks to the AIA team for putting on another great tournament.

TOP 25 RESULTS BELOW:

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS

Thanks again to everyone for a great year. We are looking forward to the 2020 Anglers in Action season, which will kickoff at Table Rock Lake on February 22nd and Lake of the Ozarks on February 23rd. Enter online now to secure an early take-off number. 

The 2019 Fall Big Bass Bash™ at Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks is now in the books. Over $260,000 in cash was awarded at this event, and what a weekend it turned out to be. Lake of the Ozarks was fishing tough during the event, with only 2 bass over 6 lbs. weighed in the first day of the Bash. Earl Malone led day one with 6.15 lbs., which kept the event wide open for the 2nd day of competition.

Sunday brought with it cooler weather and overcast skies, which seemed to trigger those bigger bass to get active and start chomping. All four of the top overall weights from Saturday were overtaken Sunday, and the suspense didn't wind down until the final hour of the event.

Kevin Jones, of Hermann, MO, was fishing in his 4th Big Bass Bash™ event at Lake of the Ozarks. Kevin came up to the scales at the Red Oak Resort weigh-in station in the last time slot on Sunday and dumped his bass into the tub. His bass was put in the weigh-in basket and locked in on 6.42 lbs., overtaking the 6.36 pounder that was leading. After a few minutes of picture taking and congratulating, it hit Kevin that he was now leading the event...and the $100,000 grand prize.

Kevin caught his bass in the Niangua arm, using a homemade black/blue jig that one of his buddies had made. He was fishing behind a dock on the main channel of the Niangua when the big girl bit, and the fight was on. Kevin wrestled the bass into the boat, placed her in the livewell and raced off to Red Oak Resort...and the rest is history. Congratulations again to Kevin Jones, your 2019 Lake of the Ozarks Fall Big Bass Bash™ champion.

We want to thank everyone that participated in this event. We truly appreciate your support and hope you all had a great weekend on Lake of the Ozarks. We also want to thank all of our great sponsors that make this event possible, and all of the local businesses and supporters that contribute to this tournament. We appreciate you all!

Dont Miss The 2020 Big Bass Bash Season:

Pickwick Lake (AL) - March 21 & 22, 2020

Lake of the Ozarks (MO) - April 18 & 19, 2020

Grand Lake (OK) - May 30 & 31, 2020

Lake of the Ozarks (MO) - October 3 & 4, 2020

 CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS OF THE TOURNAMENT

CLICK HERE FOR KIDS DIVISION RESULTS

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THE FALL BIG BASS BASH

Anglers in Action: Grand Lake - September 28th

The final qualifying tournament of the 2019 Anglers in Action season is now in the books. 93 teams battled it out on Grand Lake, vying for their spot at the 2019 AiA Tournament of Champions, presented by Ranger Boats.

Wayne Fowler and Terry Thomas hauled in 19.79 lbs. to take the win Saturday, bringing them their first win on the Anglers in Action Tournament Trail. Terry and Wayne also landed the Big Bass of the event, that weighed in at 6.10 lbs. They took home a total of $3,820.00 for their first place finish.

We want to thank everyone for a great 2019 season. We are looking forward to the championship coming up on November 2-3 at Lake of the Ozarks. Please check your division standings page to see if your team qualified. Any questions call 314-591-4578 or email us at info@midwestfishtournaments.com

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS