Match Results

Phillip Little now 3-0 with win over Drew Baldwin on Kentucky's Carr Fork Lake

Here's how it went down in Phillip Little's own words

A quick overview of the match: We fished Carr Fork Reservoir, which is a 700 acre Corp of Engineers lake in Southeastern KY. Water Temp was 44 degrees, muddy with visibility less than 5 inches. Drew is a faith based missionary here in Southeast KY with a unique equestrian ministry called The Stables at Creekside Glen. While Drew has grown up fishing, this was his first tournament. After winning the coin toss, I selected to control the 2nd and 4th periods. After a fishless 1st and 2nd period, I was blessed with two keeper largemouth from the back of the boat during the 3rd period. With the lead going into the final period, I decided to call it a match, load up the boat, and go find some lunch. Another great day on the water enjoying God's creation and fellowship with another UMF member.

Thanks again for this tournament format.

Phillip

Phillip Little Raises Record to 2-0 with win over Archie Wilson Jr. on Norris Lake in Tennessee.

Phillip Little needed 4 four fish to narrwoly pull out a victory over fellow UMF Federation member Archie Wilson Jr on a cold Norris Lake north of Knoxville, Tennessee on December 18. Little's 5.6 pounds was a pound better than Wilson's 4.6 and puts Little on the inside track for a shot at the Federation Championship!

This week's FEATURED MATCH- James Whittman downs Steve Mcguire on a stingy Lake Anna in Virginia

For James Whittman and Steve McGuire, Virginia's Lake Anna was the venue for a match that saw Whittman defeat McGuire with 3-fish weighing in at 4.25 pounds. For McGuire, it was a story of missed opportunities as the bites were there but the fish didn't cooperate all the way to the boat. Here's how Whittman describes the match...

"I had the pleasure of fishing my first match against Steve McGuire, an awesome guy and fellow competitor from the mid-Atalnatic region. We fished on Lake Anna, a truly outstanding fishery but it's a tough nut to crack...so tough that it's developed the nickname of "1 Fish Anna"! We fished four 1 1/2 hour quarters and we were using this match as an opportunity to pre-fish for a tournament the following day so hitting the prime areas wasn't the game plan for either of us. With post frontal conditions and strong winds I managed to catch three small keepers for a total of 4.25 pounds. Steve had a few bites but missed the opportunity to put them in the boat. Thanks for starting the UMF Federation competition. I love the show and Joe (Thomas) is a regular guy just like us who has great days on the water and not so great days. I am looking forward to years of competition under this format"- James Whittman.

Congrats James. We look forward to years of competition and participation from both you and Steve. keep up the good work.

Jason Perrego edges Dereck Combs on the Lake of the Ozarks

A rain soaked Lake of the Ozarks was the stage for this match featuring two charter UMF Federation members. With water visibility of less than a foot and a water temperature of 57 degrees, Perrago used a Lucky Craft Pointer and a Rapala DT-6 to boat three bass weighing in at 6.12 pounds. Unfortunately for Combs, Lake of the Ozarks proved to be a bit too much as he failed to get on teh board. Congratulations to Jason Perrego who is now on the UMF Federation leader board.

Charter Member Cowboy Cooper narrowly pulls out a win against fellow Tennessee angler Jamie Moss

They call him Cowboy. Charter UMF Federation member Jason "Cowboy" Cooper's battle royal against fellow Tennessee angler Jamie Moss didn't turn into a slugfest on Woods Lake near Winchester, Tennessee. It did, however, go down to the wire. Fishing 1-hour quarters, Cooper and Moss spent the match in defend mode, resulting in a narrow win by Cowboy 3.4 pounds to Moss' 2.9.

According to Cowboy Cooper, "A lot of people don't realize that Ultimate Match Fishing isn't about sacking 20-plus pounds everytime you go out. It's about beating the guy in the boat with you. If one fish will do that...great. If you need five, then you better get to work."

It comes down to timing, confidence and a little luck when fishing against a person in the same boat. So, get your match results in soon and remember to be safe out there!

Steven Mills over Kevin Przbyl in Toho Takedown

Late summer can make for tough fishing conditions in central Florida, but that didn't stop Steven Mills from posting his first UMF Federation win over Kevin Przbyl. With three Toho largemouth weighing in at 12 pounds and 10 ounces, Mills cruised to victory over Przbyl who was unable to put a keeper in the boat. With the win, Mills is on the board representing Florida in his quest to win the UMF Federation Championship. Good Luck!

Phillip Little defeats Michael Maggard on Virginia's John Flanagan Reservoir

For UMF members Phillip Little and Micheal Maggard, the chance to go head-to-head UMF style was an entirely new experience. Read on for Little's take on the day...

First off, thank you for the opportunity to compete in such an exciting tournament format. I am a huge fan of Ultimate Match Fishing and while I enjoy watching the matches on Outdoor Channel, competiting in this format was awesome! On October 9, I had the priviledge of fishing against my local club director, Mike Maggard. Our club tournaments are more about fellowship...with a little competition, as we fish to collect food for the local food pantry. (tournament entry fees are $10-$15 in canned food). The UMF format gave me the opportunity to compete against Mike for 4 hours, and we both looked forward to it.

As a co-angler on the FLW Tour and BASS Southern Opens, I've had experience fishing behind some of the best professional anglers in the sport. After fishing in these pro events, I've realized the importance of boat control and how it can be used to catch fish while keeping the guy in the back of the boat away from the sweet spot. Fishing these events with the pros and getting the chance to walk across the weigh-in stage is very exciting to say the least. However, from the coin toss to determine boat control through the weigh-in, my first UMF tournament produced nerves that I haven't experienced as a co-angler! From deciding on whether to take control of the boat in the first quarter or to hold out for the 4th period to selecting and protecting my fishing area, this format provides new challenges on the water. One hour quarters don't give you much time to find productive areas so you have to choose your spots wisely. In our match, Mike and I both wanted to fish a small creek up river, but we knew the area would be hard to defend. As a result, neither of us ran up to the creek!

In very high winds (unkown to either of us the area was under a tornadoe watch), we tried a couple of other key spots on the lake. I won the coin toss and chose the second and fourth quarter, thus having control in the final period. After a scoreless first quarter, I was blessed with catching the only keeper in the second period by pitching a Zoom Super Hog into a pile of leaves in a wind-blown pocket. Micheal could't land a keeper in the 3rd quarter so the match ending when I took control in the 4th period with the lead.

But, instead of calling it a day, Mike and I headed back out for a little fun fishing. Without the task of protecting the area from the angler in the back of the boat, we headed up the river to the small creek that we had both wanted to fish. As luck would have it, the creak was loaded with wind blown leaves and you guessed it, several keeper bass were relating to those leaf piles.

The format for UMF really adds another variable to tournament fishing. In additional to finding and catching fish, you have to consider whether or not you can protect that are from the angler in the back of the boat.

Congratulations Phillip. We appreciate the story and are inspired by your club's comittment to helping your community with tournaments to collect canned goods for the local food pantry. It's a great idea and we want to pass it along to all of our members.