The 2023 Anglers in Action season wrapped up at Lake of the Ozarks on November 4-5, with the year end Midway USA Tournament of Champions, presented by Phoenix Boats. Some of the best anglers in the Midwest made their way to Lake of the Ozarks for this event, ready to hit the water and take their shot at being crowned the 2023 Anglers in Action Champions.
Over $100,000 in cash and prizes was up for grabs, which included the Grand Prize of a 2024 Phoenix 819 Pro, 2 Power Pole blades, and Lowrance HDS Live units from Russell Marine Products.
Lake of the Ozarks has been fishing extremely tough as of late, and that trend continued into the championship. Chris & Tim Jeffries took the Day 1 lead, with 5 bass that weighed in at 15.98 lbs. Terry Bradley & Matt Gunter were right on their tails though, with a 5 bass limit of 15.97 lbs. Roger & Corey Cook rounded out the top 3 on Day 1 with 14.47 lbs.
The bite on Day 2 seemed to improve some for the AiA anglers. There were 3 bags over 16 lbs. weighed in, including the heaviest one-day limit (18.64 lbs.) caught by Andy & Micah Littlejohn of the Grand Lake Division. Andy & Micah took the tournament lead with that bag, weighing in a 2 day total of 29.35 lbs.
Adam Boehle & Mark Wilson were lurking in the holding tanks though, knowing they had a chance at taking the title. Needing 15.93 to take the lead, Adam Boehle made his way up on stage, placed their bag on the AiA scales, and took the lead with a solid 17.72 lb. sack. That bag gave them a 2 day total of 31.15 lbs., which held up the remainder of the event and earned them the grand prize and the 2023 Anglers in Action Championship title. Congratulations gentlemen!
THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE ANGLERS & SPONSORS
We want to thank all of the anglers that fished with Anglers in Action this season. We appreciate each and every one of you and hope you all had a great time fishing AiA this year. We also want to thank all of our amazing sponsors and supporters that contribute to the success of AiA, without you all this trail would not be possible. Please support those that support Anglers in Action Tournament Trail.
Special thanks to Phoenix Boats and Anglers Port Marine for all of their support of this event, and to our Title Sponsor, Midway USA, for the support & partnership.
Thank you to Bassing Bob for keeping the anglers fed and refreshed throughout the event.
2023 Anglers in Action Champions: Adam Boehle & Mark Wilson
Tournament Breakdown from Mark & Adam:
We ran all over the lake from the Glaize Arm to the Dam, fishing jigs in and around docks utilizing the Croc-O-Gator Zapper and Reaction jigs. With the lake fishing so tough, we just kept the jigs wet, trolling motor going and just kept grinding. We had our limit both days around 11 and went searching for a better bite. We had one chance but it didn’t stay buttoned, and we couldn’t cull either day going through 8-9 keeper bites each day.
We would like to thank Croc-O-Gator Baits, Fitz Tackle, Mercury Motors, Caymas Boats, Anglers Port Marine, and Dobyns. Congrats to all the teams that did well in this stacked field of anglers. Thanks again to AIA and the amazing circuit you all run. Thanks to God for allowing us to do what we love to do and keeping all the anglers safe.
2nd Place Overall: Andy Littlejohn & Micah Littlejohn
Qualifying out of the Grand Lake Division, Andy & Micah Littlejohn took 2nd place overall for the 2023 AiA Tournament of Champions with a total weight of 29.35 lbs. They had a Day 1 weight of 10.73 lbs., but followed it up with the heaviest 1 day catch of the event, with an 18.64 lb. bag on Day 2.
Micah & Andy reported targeting fish off shore, with all of their bass coming on the a-rig. Congratulations guys!
3rd Place Overall: Roger Cook and Corey Cook
3rd place went to the father & son team of Roger and Corey Cook. Corey & Roger had a Day 1 weight of 14.47 lbs. along with a Day 2 weight of 12.99 lbs., for a combined weight of 27.46 lbs.
Roger & Corey used the jig primarily throughout the weekend, targeting shallow and deep brush to catch the majority of their bass. They also threw a small swimbait to add a few to their livewell. Great job gentlemen!
Lew’s Big Bass – Day 1: Nathan Oliver & Jamie Eynard (6.79 lbs.)
Lew’s Big Bass – Day 2: Ken Whitfield & Brian Maloney (6.62 lbs.)
Tournament Results
Don’t miss the 2024 Anglers in Action Tournament Trail season. We will kickoff the year at Lake of the Ozarks on March 3, 2024. Enter online now to secure an early take-off position.
Thank you all again and we will see you next season!
