SPRING CITY, TN — Bass Pro Tour newcomer Mercury pro Ryan Salzman of Huntsville weighed in 13 bass totaling 24 lbs. 3 oz. to experience his first major career win and first Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour win at the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft in Spring City, Tennessee, this weekend.
Salzman took home a big red trophy and the top winnings of $100,000.
The six-day event showcased 80 of the top professional bass-fishing anglers in the world competing for a total purse of $805,000.
Television coverage of the General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake will premiere at 8 a.m. CST, Oct. 29 on the Discovery Channel.
Onlookers said it was a fight to the finish during Thursday’s Championship Round as the best anglers in the sport cast their chances to the sea while Salzman sat at the top of the SCORETRACKER most of the day.
“Right now, I’m just putting all my trust in God, and that’s the only way I can rise up to this moment, because it’s too big for me,” said Salzman in the final moments as the clock ticked down. “Words just can’t describe how I feel even being in contention to win this event, especially going up against some of the greatest anglers in the world. Fishing against my childhood heroes, it’s just amazing.”
Thursday marked the first time the Huntsville fishing pro has qualified for the Championship Round on the MLF Bass Pro Tour since joining the tour in February.
“First and foremost, I have to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” Salzman said. “I’ve been a mess the last few years but have made a lot of life changes and attitude changes, so to go from where I was three or four years ago, to where I am today, there just isn’t anything that He can’t do.”
Salzman said he found his winning area above the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Watts Bar Dam during practice and knew there were enough fish there to win the event when he saw hundreds of bass schooling and stacked up against this wall earlier in the week.
As the tournament progressed, he realized the bass were only schooling and feeding during certain time windows.
“I never in my life thought I would win this event,” Salzman said excitedly, amid cheers from fans and followers who surrounded him on the water. “I knew the winning fish were in this area, but I didn’t know if they would bite today. I just had to figure out how to catch them.
“I’ve lost several fish this week, even lost two or three today that would have given me more of a cushion at the end of the day, but I’m just speechless and so thankful for this opportunity.”
Salzman finished 15th after his first day and ended the second day in 16th place to advance to the Knockout Round.
That is where he said the fun really began.
“On Wednesday, the TVA began running water through the dam, generating 30,000, 40,000 watts, stirring up the bait fish and in turn, the bass,” Salzman said. “Once they started moving the water, this spot really lit up. The majority of the fish I caught this week were right here in this spot, on a 4½-inch morning dawn-colored Roboworm with an 1/8-ounce Titan Tungsten ball weight.”
Salzman’s flurry halted to a stop about an hour and a half prior to the end of the tournament as the TVA turned down the generators and the bass around him stopped feeding.
Not to be deterred from the win, Salzman made a quick pivot to another place on the dam, boating a 2-pounder.
“With only 25 minutes left in the day, that kicker fish made all the difference,” Salzman finished.
Salzman won by a slim 11-ounce margin over Academy Sports + Outdoors pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee.
Another North Alabama professional angler, Fletcher Shryock of Guntersville, finished ninth and won $19,000.
The Bass Pro Tour features a field of 80 of the top professional anglers in the world competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, competing for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2023 championship.
Major League Fishing produces more than 250 events a year at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world while broadcasting via the Discovery Channel, the Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, the World Fishing Network and on-demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
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