Chris McClellan Wins Last Toyota Series Co-Angler Title on Pickwick

Chris McClellan took the co-angler crown at the Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake, weighing 10 bass for a three-day total of 25 pounds, 5 ounces, according to Major League Fishing. The event near Counce, Tenn., was probably the final one with a co-angler division, since the series drops co-anglers from its events in 2027.

MLF said the prize included a boat package from Phoenix Boats valued at $33,500, along with a contingency payout through the Tackle Warehouse Rewards program. The standings MLF published list his earnings as $33,600, so the report gives two different numbers.

A co-angler win on a tough lake

A co-angler rides in the back of a pro’s boat and has no say over where it goes. MLF said fish were hard to come by for the co-anglers all week, and the pros struggled as well.

Runner-up Jason Sandidge brought in eight bass that totaled 24 pounds, 12 ounces. Gerald Dam placed third, with 20 pounds, 3 ounces from seven fish.

How the three days went

Paired with Keith Poche to open the event, McClellan boated two bass. Poche ran into extremely skinny water, and McClellan said he had never seen anything like it; he normally fishes only in the Ozarks. He chose a ChatterBait, a vibrating bladed jig, and moved quickly to fish as much ground as he could.

The second day won him the title. Fishing from Bryan LaBelle’s boat, he put together a limit weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces on main-lake structure, including docks and steep shorelines. McClellan said he grabbed a spinnerbait almost on a whim and began bringing it back slowly to keep it low in the water. Within a few hours he had his limit. He then tied on a glide bait to look for a single large bass, landed one and culled, which means he released his smallest fish to make room for the bigger catch.

On the last day he rode with Hayden O’Barr and managed three keepers. McClellan said O’Barr caught plenty of bass on a ChatterBait without using LiveScope, a sonar that displays fish ahead of the boat as they move. McClellan landed two of his keepers on the spinnerbait and the third on a ChatterBait.

The baits that won

• A War Eagle spinnerbait with two willow-leaf blades.
• A Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait JackHammer, golden shiner color.
• A Wingman soft plastic from Bojangle Baits, rigged behind the ChatterBait.
• A glide bait on the second day, used to chase one heavier fish.

What it means for co-anglers

Anglers who do not own a boat have used co-angler entries to compete at top events. Once the Toyota Series ends that division in 2027, the Pickwick finish likely marks the end of that route on this circuit. McClellan, who works as an electrician and has three children, said winning the final co-angler edition meant a great deal to him. He thanked his wife, Kelly, for keeping the household running and joked that a vacation for her is now due.

Top 10 co-anglers

• First, $33,600: Chris McClellan, 10 bass, 25-05
• Second, $12,500: Jason Sandidge, 8 bass, 24-12
• Third, $10,000: Gerald Dam, 7 bass, 20-03
• Fourth, $7,500: David Zapatero Mula, 7 bass, 19-14
• Fifth, $5,000: Carson Stone, 6 bass, 19-02
• Sixth, $4,000: Porter Laird, 8 bass, 18-09
• Seventh, $3,500: Todd Mowery, 6 bass, 18-03
• Eighth, $3,000: Kade Wesner, 7 bass, 18-00
• Ninth, $2,500: Giuseppe Teofilo, 5 bass, 16-10
• Tenth, $2,000: Dustin Maxwell, 6 bass, 16-08

Source: Major League Fishing