Bass Angler Magazine

Who’s Made the Elites this Year?

Every year a group of anglers fall off and a new group arise to compete. For these newcomers is can be a grind and you wonder how many will make it to the next year and who will go home broke and try again.Here are this year’s 12 new anglers who made it to the Elites and we’d like to with then all the luck for a successful season and career.

blaylock
With Southern Opens finishes of 6, 7 and 14 in 2016, Arkansas’ Stetson Blaylock has Stetson Blaylock has qualified for the Elite Series. Blaylock has five wins and close to $900,000 in earnings on the FLW tour, so he will enter the Elite Series with a ton of experience. His best BASS finish was 2nd at the 2015 Central Open on Fort Gibson Lake.
carriere-ronmo
Louisiana native Tyler Carriere qualified for the Elites by finishing 27, 13 and 23 in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Opens in 2016.
connell-jo
A former University of Alabama angler and 2015 Opens champion, Dustin Connell qualified for the Elite Series in 2016 by finishing 19, 24 and 15 in the Southern Opens.
daniels
Alabama’s Mark Daniels, Jr. is joining the Elites after a successful career at FLW where he had two wins and over $400,000 in earnings. The California angler qualified for Elites by finishing 15, 56 and 5th in the Southern Opens.
new-elites
Tennessee angler Skylar Hamilton won on the Arkansas River and finished 7th and 48th in the two remaining Central Opens in 2016 to quality for the Elites. The Virginia angler plans on being the first Elite angler to fish from an aluminum boat full for the 2017 season.
hartman
Jamie Hartman qualified for the Elite Series by having some strong Northern Open finishes of 3, 45 and 20. Hartman has seven wins in FLW’s BFL series including one in 2015. Photo by James Overstreet
jonesjr
The Texan son of Elite Series pro Alton Jones qualified for the Elite Series this year with finishes of 15, 1 and 35 in the Central Opens, and a third-place finish in a Northern Open that almost had him qualifying there too. Jones, jr will fish his first Classic in 2017 along with his father.
lutuso
After a strong year in the Central Opens with finishes of 28, 10 and 31, Louisiana angler Robbie Latuso qualified for the 2017 Elite Series.
spohrer
Louisiana angler Gerald Spohrer did not let historic flooding near his home distract him from a strong Central Opens year of finishing 9, 18, 21.
tacoronte
With finishes of 11, 51 and 9 in the Northern Opens, Florida angler and Enigma fishing co-owner and founder Jesse Tacoronte will join Enigma pro Aaron Martens on the 2017 Elite Series.
wheeler
Winner of the first BASSfest and a Forrest Wood Cup, it should come as no surprise that Indiana’s Jacob Wheeler qualified for the 2017 Elite Series. In fact he double-qualified with strong performances in the Norther and Southern Opens
wiggins
Jesse Wiggins has only fished in seven B.A.S.S. events, but he made them count. With finishes of 36, 1 and 11, he is headed to the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic and the 2017 Elite Series.
pipkens
Elite Series angler Chad Pipkens. You may be wondering why he’s in this gallery- the truth of it is after a disappointing year on the Elite Series, Chad faced with being relegated. But an extremely strong Northern Opens season finishing 14,10 and 17 winning the division put Chad back into the Elites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connect with #Bassmaster and the #BassmasterClassic on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

BASS Logo

About B.A.S.S.

B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster
and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota.

See more bass tournament news here 

 

bass angler 1140x150 copy.jpg

Discover the ultimate resource for bass fishing enthusiasts with Bass Angler Magazine! Packed with expert tips, cutting-edge gear reviews, and in-depth articles, our magazine is your go-to guide for mastering the art of bass fishing. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started, Bass Angler Magazine delivers the insights and inspiration you need to reel in the big ones. Subscribe today and elevate your angling game!

Related posts

B.A.S.S. and Alabama Power Team Up for Anglers

Mark

Two Alabama Students Awarded Scholarships By Alabama Power And B.A.S.S.

Mark

Lee Livesay Wins His First Bassmaster Opens On Ross Barnett Reservoir

Mark Lassagne