Barnes hangs on to win first Bassmaster Open of the season on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula

Justin Barnes of Ellaville, Ga., has won the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula with a two-day total of 48 pounds, 9 ounces.

Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.

March 4, 2023

Barnes hangs on to win first Bassmaster Open of the season on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Ala. — With only a couple hours remaining in the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula, Justin Barnes felt the tournament slipping away.

The Day 1 leader, Barnes was struggling Saturday after foul weather blew through the area Friday and forced cancellation of the day’s competition. But the 28-year-old lineman with Georgia Power was able to flip the switch on his home water.

The move from a football jig to a series of deep-diving crankbaits put a charge in Barnes, who lives an hour away in Ellaville, Ga. He finished with a two-day total of 48 pounds, 9 ounces, and topped the field of 225 anglers from around the U.S. and beyond.

The victory earned Barnes a spot in the 2024 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota in Tulsa, Okla. He’ll have to fish the remaining two Division I Opens events this year (on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake May 18-20 and Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes Oct. 12-14) to secure the Classic berth, but he said that’s a given with a win on Eufaula in the bag.

“I’m just glad to be able to be out here and fish,” he said, shortly after securing his win before a big crowd at Lakepoint State Park. “It’s what I love.”

But that wasn’t so much the case Saturday, when Barnes was struggling mightily.

“I really felt the wheels falling off,” he said. “I only had two fish at 2 o’clock. I was having a bad day. I was starting to get worried, and I was frustrated.”

The key change, Barnes said, was deciding to go back to the crankbaits that helped him catch a 25-6 limit on Thursday. He said Strike King 6XD and 10XD lures and a Berkley Dredger 20.5 (threadfin shad HD) were essential to his good fortune. He weighed a 23-3 limit Saturday but said the total could have been heavier.

“I lost a few key bites, but still had enough,” Barnes said. “I had to keep hitting the hard spots and secondary points … The front knocked my fish in the head. I stopped on a whole bunch of fish today and couldn’t get them to eat. And I was throwing the whole boat at ‘em.

“But the higher the sun got, the better the bite got.”

Barnes also won $52,500 for Saturday’s victory, part of a $333,000 total purse split among the Top 40 competitors in both the pro and co-angler divisions competing at Eufaula. He topped his bounty with a $500 contingency prize for being the highest finisher using Garmin electronics.

Shaine Campbell of Brookeland, Texas, cranked his way to a second-place finish (45-14 overall) and won $25,500. He caught 24-8 on Saturday, relying primarily on a Berkley Dredger 20.5 (citrus shad). A 6th Sense 300 Crush DD (blue/chartreuse) crankbait was his go-to lure on Day 1, when he bagged a 21-6 limit and sat in seventh place.

“There were some really nice bite windows today,” Campbell said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect with these warm, bluebird conditions following yesterday’s front. I got on a couple flurries and caught a 6-pounder and a 5-pounder about 10 o’clock.”

As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Campbell also took home an additional $2,000. 

Rounding out the Top 5 were third, Texas’ Brett Cannon, 44-11; fourth, Tennessee’s John Garrett, 44-1; and fifth, Texas’ Ben Milliken, 41-5.

Cannon, who guides on Texas’ prolific bass lakes, also relied on crankbaits to get a podium finish at Eufaula.

“I had to cast a few thousand times with that Strike King 10XD chartreuse sexy shad,” he said. “My fish were anywhere in 15 to 20 feet of water. And the hard bottom was key. When you got that crankbait down there and felt it digging on that hard stuff, you knew you were in the right area.”

Garrett had the big bag of the tournament, a 27-6 sack he weighed Saturday, the heaviest bass weighing an even 7 pounds. The former College Series champion said his best bass came on Strike King 6XD crankbaits in citrus shad, green gizzard and chartreuse/blue back.

“I caught fish on flats in 10 to 15 feet of water,” Garrett said. “The spots didn’t hold many fish, but they were the right fish. I’d pull up and catch one then back off for an hour or so, then go back and get another one. I didn’t want to milk it too bad.”

Alex Heintze of Denham Springs, La., won the $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award with the 7-7 hog he weighed Thursday. Greg Bohannan of Bentonville, Ark., caught a 7-4, which was the heaviest bass on Saturday.

Avery Williams, a 20-year-old from Murrells Inlet, S.C., topped the nonboater field with a two-day total of six bass weighing 17-6. Williams was in 10th place among nonboaters after Day 1, but only caught one fish until the closing minutes of Day 2. A pair of late catches helped him win the 116-person division.

Williams collected $13,147 for the win. Steven West of Mooreville, Miss., finished second with 15-10 and Clayton Ellis, of Saltillo, Miss., placed third with 15-6. West had the Big Bass among co-anglers with the 5-13 he caught Thursday, good for a $250 Big Bass prize from Phoenix Boats.

New to this year’s Bassmaster Open Series is the Elite Qualifier division, with 175 participating anglers fishing each all nine events hoping to grab one of nine berths in the prestigious Bassmaster Elite Series in 2024.

After the first of nine Opens, the Top 10 in the points standings are Campbell with 199, followed Cannon with 198, Garrett with 197, Milliken with 196, Jack York of Emory, Texas, with 195, Logan Parks of Auburn, Ala., with 192, Jon Canada of Helena, Ala., with 191, Josh Bragg of Fayetteville, Ga., with 190, Wesley Gore of Clanton, Ala., with 189 and Jacob Bigelow of Cecil, Wis., with 188.

Though he earned the all-important Classic berth, Barnes is not participating in the EQs division.

Mainstreet Eufaula and the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce hosted the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula.

2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula Alabama 3/2-3/4Lake Eufaula, Eufaula  AL.(BOATER) Standings Day 3

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Justin Barnes          Ellaville, GA           10  48-09  200  $53,000.00  Day 1: 5   25-06     Day 2: 5   23-03     Day 3: 0   00-00   2.  Shaine Campbell        Brookeland, TX          10  45-14  199  $25,500.00  Day 1: 5   21-06     Day 2: 5   24-08     Day 3: 0   00-00   3.  Brett Cannon           Willis, TX              10  44-11  198  $18,000.00  Day 1: 5   23-01     Day 2: 5   21-10     Day 3: 0   00-00   4.  John Garrett           Union City, TN          10  44-01  197  $15,000.00  Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 5   27-06     Day 3: 0   00-00   5.  Ben Milliken           New Caney, TX           10  41-05  196  $13,050.00  Day 1: 5   18-04     Day 2: 5   23-01     Day 3: 0   00-00   6.  Jack York              Emory, TX               10  41-01  195  $12,000.00  Day 1: 5   20-04     Day 2: 5   20-13     Day 3: 0   00-00   7.  Tucker Smith           Shoal Creek, AL         10  40-15  194  $11,250.00  Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   23-05     Day 3: 0   00-00   8.  Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  40-15  193  $10,500.00  Day 1: 5   21-09     Day 2: 5   19-06     Day 3: 0   00-00   9.  Logan Parks            Auburn, AL              10  40-00  192   $8,250.00  Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   19-07     Day 3: 0   00-00   10. Jon Canada             Helena, AL              10  39-15  191   $6,750.00  Day 1: 5   22-12     Day 2: 5   17-03     Day 3: 0   00-00   ———————————————————————–PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS     Alex Heintze             Denham Springs, LA  07-07        $750.00———————————————————————–TotalsDay   #Limits    #Fish      Weight 1       136       905      2640-06 2       110       802      2246-08 3         0         0        00-00———————————-         246      1707      4886-14

2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula Alabama 3/2-3/4Lake Eufaula, Eufaula  AL.(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 2

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Avery Williams         Murrells Inlet, SC       6  17-06  200  $13,147.00  Day 1: 3   08-11     Day 2: 3   08-11   2.  Steven West            Mooreville, MS           6  15-10  199   $3,343.00  Day 1: 3   09-14     Day 2: 3   05-12   3.  Clayton Ellis          Saltillo, MS             6  15-06  198   $2,320.00  Day 1: 3   08-13     Day 2: 3   06-09   4.  Eric Camarote          The Villages, FL         6  15-05  197   $1,740.00  Day 1: 3   07-12     Day 2: 3   07-09   5.  Billy Limerick         Chandler, TX             6  15-02  196   $1,624.00  Day 1: 3   06-11     Day 2: 3   08-07   6.  Mike Spears            Jasper, AL               4  13-10  195   $1,547.00  Day 1: 3   10-05     Day 2: 1   03-05   7.  Michael Leach          Shenandoah, TX           6  13-09  194   $1,469.00  Day 1: 3   05-11     Day 2: 3   07-14   8.  Marrell Deering        Rome, GA                 6  13-04  193   $1,392.00  Day 1: 3   07-09     Day 2: 3   05-11   9.  Pheerayout See         Rochester, MN            5  12-14  192   $1,276.00  Day 1: 2   03-13     Day 2: 3   09-01   10. Zachery Kuhn           Summerfield, FL          5  12-11  191   $1,160.00  Day 1: 3   09-00     Day 2: 2   03-11   11. Parker Knudsen         Minnetonka, MN           6  12-11  190   $1,083.00  Day 1: 3   04-15     Day 2: 3   07-12   12. Ashton Smith           Lake Helen, FL           5  12-06  189   $1,005.00  Day 1: 3   09-03     Day 2: 2   03-03   13. John Higginbotham      Slaughter, LA            6  12-05  188     $851.00  Day 1: 3   05-05     Day 2: 3   07-00   14. Neal Wisinski          Stevens Point, WI        6  12-01  187     $773.00  Day 1: 3   06-11     Day 2: 3   05-06   15. Chad Stahl             Barnesville, GA          6  12-00  186     $696.00  Day 1: 3   06-15     Day 2: 3   05-01   16. Mark Moore             Freeport, FL             5  12-00  185     $619.00  Day 1: 3   05-02     Day 2: 2   06-14   17. Bill Hutchison Jr.     Bessemer, AL             4  11-15  184     $580.00  Day 1: 3   10-06     Day 2: 1   01-09   18. Dawson Wisner          Palatka, FL              5  11-15  183     $580.00  Day 1: 3   07-08     Day 2: 2   04-07   19. Rick Cheatham          Carterville, IL          4  11-12  182     $580.00  Day 1: 2   07-00     Day 2: 2   04-12   20. Mark Guhne             Hixson, TN               5  11-11  181     $580.00  Day 1: 3   05-14     Day 2: 2   05-13   21. Jim Williams           Winter Springs, GA       5  11-05  180     $541.00  Day 1: 2   05-01     Day 2: 3   06-04   22. John Hatfield          Panama City, FL          6  11-05  179     $541.00  Day 1: 3   05-04     Day 2: 3   06-01   23. Corey Yaden            Grovetown, GA            5  11-04  178     $541.00  Day 1: 3   07-03     Day 2: 2   04-01   24. Brad Goetz             Waunakee, WI             5  11-03  177     $541.00  Day 1: 3   07-02     Day 2: 2   04-01   25. Gary Haraguchi         Murfreesboro, TN         5  11-01  176     $541.00  Day 1: 2   04-00     Day 2: 3   07-01   26. Ronald Young           New Braunfels, TX        6  11-00  175     $464.00  Day 1: 3   04-10     Day 2: 3   06-06   27. Joe Chilcott           Williamson, GA           4  10-11  174     $464.00  Day 1: 3   08-04     Day 2: 1   02-07   28. Bob Morin              Seymour, TN              5  10-11  173     $464.00  Day 1: 3   06-12     Day 2: 2   03-15   29. Jonathan Barnette      Jasper, AL               4  10-09  172     $464.00  Day 1: 3   09-06     Day 2: 1   01-03   30. Joe Stokes             Kentwood, LA             4  10-09  171     $464.00  Day 1: 1   01-14     Day 2: 3   08-11   31. Johnnie Garrett        Union City, TN           4  10-07  170     $425.00  Day 1: 3   08-05     Day 2: 1   02-02   32. Jimmy Brumfield        Madison, MS              4  10-06  169     $425.00  Day 1: 1   01-08     Day 2: 3   08-14   33. John Ax                Eufaula, AL              5  10-03  168     $425.00  Day 1: 3   06-11     Day 2: 2   03-08   34. Taylor Burtram         Newton, AL               3  09-12  167     $425.00  Day 1: 3   09-12     Day 2: 0   00-00   35. John Goul              Philadelphia, MS         4  09-10  166     $425.00  Day 1: 3   08-06     Day 2: 1   01-04   36. Tristan Bramblett      Tiger, GA                4  09-07  165     $425.00  Day 1: 2   03-14     Day 2: 2   05-09   37. Kenneth Ott            Manahawkin, NJ           3  09-05  164     $425.00  Day 1: 1   02-06     Day 2: 2   06-15   38. Justin Yenter          Stevens Point, WI        4  09-03  163     $425.00  Day 1: 3   06-13     Day 2: 1   02-06   39. Doug Back              Monticello, FL           3  09-00  162     $425.00  Day 1: 1   01-13     Day 2: 2   07-03   40. Kristian Dus           Roselle, IL              3  09-00  161     $425.00  Day 1: 1   02-00     Day 2: 2   07-00   41. Dylan Mayo             Athens, TX               3  08-15  160  Day 1: 1   02-11     Day 2: 2   06-04   42. Jimmy Fellegy          Lakeville, MN            3  08-12  159  Day 1: 3   08-12     Day 2: 0   00-00   43. Jon Jezierski          Troy, MI                 4  08-09  158  Day 1: 2   04-05     Day 2: 2   04-04   44. Will Presley Jr        Grove City, OH           3  08-08  157  Day 1: 1   02-00     Day 2: 2   06-08   45. David Dukes            Carrollton, GA           4  08-07  156  Day 1: 2   05-09     Day 2: 2   02-14   46. Christian Bladen       Dothan, AL               3  08-06  155  Day 1: 3   08-06     Day 2: 0   00-00   47. Ray Hill               Lake City, FL            3  08-04  154  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 3   08-04   48. Mathew Bertram         Worthington, OH          4  08-02  153  Day 1: 3   06-13     Day 2: 1   01-05   49. Wyatt Szymanski        Stevens Point, WI        2  07-11  152  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 2   07-11   50. Cody Richardson        Gautier, MS              4  07-09  151  Day 1: 2   04-03     Day 2: 2   03-06   51. Alex Reece             Greenville, SC           4  07-07  150  Day 1: 1   01-01     Day 2: 3   06-06   52. Nick Richey            Aledo, TX                3  07-06  149  Day 1: 1   01-05     Day 2: 2   06-01   53. Bill Bruce             Hendersonville, TN       3  07-00  148  Day 1: 3   07-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   54. David Booth            Erin, TN                 4  07-00  147  Day 1: 2   04-02     Day 2: 2   02-14   55. AJ Jones               Lutz, FL                 4  07-00  146  Day 1: 2   03-15     Day 2: 2   03-01   56. Thomas Crosswhite      Hartwell, GA             3  06-14  145  Day 1: 3   06-14     Day 2: 0   00-00   57. Byong Lee              Stedman, NC              3  06-11  144  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 3   06-11   58. Philip Morris Jr       Raleigh, NC              4  06-07  143  Day 1: 3   05-01     Day 2: 1   01-06   59. Travis Culbreth        Alexander City, AL       3  06-06  142  Day 1: 1   01-09     Day 2: 2   04-13   60. Austin Nelson          Apopka, FL               3  06-05  141  Day 1: 2   05-00     Day 2: 1   01-05   61. Satoshi Egawa          Fort Lee, NJ             2  06-04  140  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 2   06-04   62. Carl Hunter            Snellville, GA           3  05-02  139  Day 1: 3   05-02     Day 2: 0   00-00   63. Randy Tallhamer        Parkersburg, FL          2  05-01  138  Day 1: 2   05-01     Day 2: 0   00-00   63. Travis Turcotte        Pembroke CANADA          2  05-01  138  Day 1: 2   05-01     Day 2: 0   00-00   65. Morne Duvenhage        Whigham GA SOUTH AFRICA  2  05-01  136  Day 1: 1   02-00     Day 2: 1   03-01   66. Joe Tucker             Osceola, MO              2  05-00  135  Day 1: 2   05-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   67. Thomas Abraham         Winchester, TN           3  04-15  134  Day 1: 2   04-03     Day 2: 1   00-12   68. Gus Kneidinger         Prospect, PA             2  04-15  133  Day 1: 1   03-05     Day 2: 1   01-10   69. Barney Boutries        Mobile, AL               2  04-14  132  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 2   04-14   70. Will Thompson          Hoover, AL               2  04-13  131  Day 1: 2   04-13     Day 2: 0   00-00   71. Matthew Rogers         Chiefland, FL            2  04-11  130  Day 1: 1   02-00     Day 2: 1   02-11   72. Jacob Smith            Daleville, AL            2  04-10  129  Day 1: 1   01-12     Day 2: 1   02-14   73. Wes Kinard             Fosters, AL              2  04-10  128  Day 1: 1   02-07     Day 2: 1   02-03   74. Skyler Anderson        Harlem, GA               2  04-08  127  Day 1: 2   04-08     Day 2: 0   00-00   75. Jp Lopez Jr            Carmel, NY               2  04-05  126  Day 1: 2   04-05     Day 2: 0   00-00   75. Lance Spencer          Donalsonville, GA        2  04-05  126  Day 1: 2   04-05     Day 2: 0   00-00   77. Matt Roberson          Powder Springs, GA       2  03-12  124  Day 1: 2   03-12     Day 2: 0   00-00   78. Cameron Debity         Boca Raton, FL           2  03-10  123  Day 1: 2   03-10     Day 2: 0   00-00   79. Jeff Keever            Tignall, GA              1  03-06  122  Day 1: 1   03-06     Day 2: 0   00-00   80. Benjamin Demo          Plymouth, MN             2  03-03  121  Day 1: 2   03-03     Day 2: 0   00-00   81. Michael Padgett        Leesburg, GA             2  03-02  120  Day 1: 2   03-02     Day 2: 0   00-00   82. Eric Melton            Flowood, MS              1  03-02  119  Day 1: 1   03-02     Day 2: 0   00-00   82. Dee Powell             Hope Hull, AL            1  03-02  119  Day 1: 1   03-02     Day 2: 0   00-00   84. Russell Hoyle          Hickory, NC              2  03-01  117  Day 1: 2   03-01     Day 2: 0   00-00   85. Austin Hubatch         Rosholt, WI              1  02-15  116  Day 1: 1   02-15     Day 2: 0   00-00   86. Mark Meadows           Hendersonville, NC       1  02-13  115  Day 1: 1   02-13     Day 2: 0   00-00   87. Ralph Gibson           Locust Grove, OK         1  02-12  114  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 1   02-12   88. Captain Black          Panama City Beach, FL    1  02-09  113  Day 1: 1   02-09     Day 2: 0   00-00   89. Randy Lawrence         Pensacola, FL            1  02-08  112  Day 1: 1   02-08     Day 2: 0   00-00   89. Danny Richardson       Gautier, MS              1  02-08  112  Day 1: 1   02-08     Day 2: 0   00-00   89. Clyde Roberts          Marshall, NC             1  02-08  112  Day 1: 1   02-08     Day 2: 0   00-00   92. Johnny Ward Jr         Ludowici, GA             1  02-06  109  Day 1: 1   02-06     Day 2: 0   00-00   93. Allen Heston           Pittsburg, TX            1  01-14  108  Day 1: 1   01-14     Day 2: 0   00-00   94. Sakae Ushio            Tonawanda, NY            1  01-08  107  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 1   01-08   95. Dusty Wood             Belton, SC               1  01-06  106  Day 1: 1   01-06     Day 2: 0   00-00   96. Ryan Shriber           Franklin, TN             1  01-04  105  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 1   01-04   97. Chris Carroll          Franklin, GA             1  00-07  104  Day 1: 1   00-07     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Steve Deyton           Forest City, NC          0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Chris Earles           Lady Lake, FL            0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Jeff Fellows           Orlando, FL              0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Darrell Hille          Springfield, TN          0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Kevin Mallow           Kansas, OK               0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Sherman Marbutt        Hackleburg, AL           0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Jordan McDonald        Jackson, GA              0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Lance McWhorter        Tyler, TX                0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Ronald Miller          Attalla, AL              0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Troy Mims              Suwanee, GA              0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. David Patterson        Flowood, MS              0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Chris Shrader          Niceville, WY            0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Jared Simpson          Burlington, KY           0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. David Stout            Fair Play, SC            0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Rick Sweadner          Woodsboro, MD            0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Justin Thomas          Panama City, FL          0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Stephen Waldon         Ellenwood, GA            0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Matthew Williams       Westminster, SC          0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   98. Bobby Williams         Salisbury, NC            0  00-00    0  Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   ———————————————————————–TotalsDay   #Limits    #Fish      Weight 1        37       187       438-14 2        21       134       316-04———————————-          58       321       755-02

The post <strong>Barnes hangs on to win first Bassmaster Open of the season on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula</strong> appeared first on The Bass Cast.