By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor
Jason Lieblong practiced all summer for last week's Plains Division FLW Toyota Series event at Arkansas' Lake Dardanelle. Now he'll start preparing for the 2021 edition of the same tournament, which is scheduled to take place in the springtime.
Lieblong, a 48-year-old resident of Conway, Ark. who operates an investment firm with his father, compiled a 3-day total of 40-09 to win a Series derby on his home water for the second time (his first triumph occurred in 2015). With a $35,000 Phoenix Boats contingency bonus thrown it, his total take was more than $70,000.
He competed in local and regional events on the lake for the past several months with the specific focus of tuning up for the coronavirus-delayed Series tournament.
"When the new schedules came out, I got into every little tournament that I could," he said. "To me, the best way to practice is to fish a tournament because you get into that (competitive) mindset and focus on your milk runs, which you don't do when you're just fun-fishing."
He also sacrificed off the water, going on a 10-day fasting diet leading up to the tournament that resulted in the loss of 12 pounds.
"It's from a Navy SEAL I follow on Instagram – I drank a green shake twice a day and a ton of water. You're not supposed to have any real food whatsoever, but I needed some snacks at night because I take medication for heartburn.
"Losing that weight, I felt better on my feet standing up all day."
Lower was Better
Lieblong compiled bags that weighed 11-10, 13-00 and 15-15 to prevail by 2 1/4 pounds over runner-up Kevin Riney. His final-day stringer was the heaviest of the tournament.
He spent some time in the upper end of the lake, but after a fruitless trip in that direction on day 2 he realize that he needed to remain in the pockets and coves on the lower end near the dam. He found his fish on the flats chasing "black clouds of shad" that were the size of two or three boats put together.
"I'd idle around and look for the shad flickering and when I saw it, I knew there was something feeding right there," he said. "I didn't know if they were black bass, white bass or stripers. I caught a 7- or 8-pound striper on the last day and I hadn't caught anything like that in years."
The shad clouds were extremely shallow – he kept his boat at a depth of approximately 2 feet and threw a ChatterBait or a topwater plug up near dry ground. The bass were in 1 to 1 1/2 feet of water.
Surprisingly, his topwater program was ineffective at the beginning of each day under low-light conditions.
"They wouldn't bite until about 8:30, after the sun was up," he said.
He started the final day in 5th place, a little more than 2 1/2 pounds behind leader Joe Bennett. However, Bennett managed just four fish for 6-12 in the final round and Lieblong's bag was 3 1/4 pounds bigger than any other caught that day.
"The night before, I was thinking I'd need 14 to 15 pounds and the leaders would have to have average sacks or nothing at all. I made my last cull at 1 o'clock with a good 3-pounder that replaced a 1 1/2, and at that point I thought I might've had enough."
He was thrilled to come away with a big win in this strange season.
"I have to give thanks to FLW and (Toyota Series tournament director) Mark McWha for working so hard to get things organized during the pandemic," he said. "With everything that's going on in 2020, the world needs fishing."
Winning Gear Notes
Lieblong threw either a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer (white) with a Zoom Speed Craw or Yamamoto Zako trailer (white). His topwater bait was a bone-colored Paycheck Baits The One, which is no longer in production.
He tied the ChatterBait to 15-pound fluorocarbon line and used 19-pound monofilament for the topwater plug.
Notable
> Lieblong made the move to a Phoenix boat this year after many years of running Rangers. "The service man gave me his card and told me to call him from the water if I needed anything, like if a pump went out or whatever," he said. "I really appreciated that; I'd never seen that before from a service crew."
Final Standings
1. Jason Lieblong -- Conway, Ar -- 11-10 (5) -- 13-0 (5) -- 15-15 (5) -- 40-9 (15) -- $70,227
2. Kevin Riney -- Bono, Ar -- 11-0 (5) -- 15-3 (5) -- 12-2 (5) -- 38-5 (15) -- $13,069
3. Teddy Bogard -- Rison, Ar -- 12-5 (5) -- 11-2 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 36-1 (15) -- $10,118
4. Joe Bennett -- Ashland, Mo -- 13-6 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 6-12 (4) -- 34-0 (14) -- $8,432
5. Steve Floyd -- Leesburg, Oh -- 13-1 (5) -- 12-4 (5) -- 8-7 (4) -- 33-12 (14) -- $7,589
6. Dicky Newberry -- Houston, Tx -- 11-0 (5) -- 12-6 (5) -- 9-13 (5) -- 33-3 (15) -- $6,745
7. Billy Doak -- Centerview, Mo -- 9-12 (5) -- 11-13 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 32-5 (15) -- $5,902
8. Kyle Weisenburger -- Columbus Grove, Oh -- 13-12 (5) -- 11-2 (5) -- 7-2 (3) -- 32-0 (13) -- $5,172
9. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 11-3 (5) -- 12-0 (5) -- 8-5 (4) -- 31-8 (14) -- $4,216
10. Kevin Short -- Fairfield Bay, Ar -- 10-14 (5) -- 10-9 (5) -- 2-13 (1) -- 24-4 (11) -- $3,373
The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.
11. Spencer Shuffield -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 11-13 (5) -- 9-2 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-15 (9) -- $3,162
12. Lance Williams -- Billings, Mo -- 11-2 (5) -- 9-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-11 (10) -- $2,951
13. Quincy Houchin -- Mabelvale, Ar -- 10-3 (5) -- 10-3 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-6 (9) -- $2,530
14. Andre Dickneite -- Freeburg, Mo -- 9-6 (5) -- 10-6 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-12 (10) -- $2,530
15. Jeff Wade -- Cabot, Ar -- 8-6 (5) -- 11-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-11 (10) -- $2,530
16. Zach King -- Clarksville, Ar -- 14-11 (5) -- 4-14 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-9 (8) -- $2,530
17. Josh Ray -- Alexander, Ar -- 9-14 (4) -- 8-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-11 (9) -- $2,530
18. Austin Brown -- Benton, Ky -- 5-3 (4) -- 13-1 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-4 (8) -- $2,643
19. Dion Hibdon -- Versailles, Mo -- 4-10 (2) -- 13-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-1 (7) -- $2,530
20. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 10-7 (5) -- 7-10 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-1 (8) -- $2,530
21. Greg Bohannan -- Bentonville, Ar -- 7-10 (4) -- 10-4 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-14 (9) -- $2,319
22. Israel Mills -- Donaldson, Ar -- 11-8 (5) -- 6-1 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-9 (8) -- $2,319
23. Hunter Baughman -- Judsonia, Ar -- 10-1 (5) -- 7-5 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-6 (9) -- $2,319
24. Jake Morris -- Mckee, Ky -- 9-14 (5) -- 7-8 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-6 (8) -- $2,319
25. Kevin Late -- Pocahontas, Ar -- 10-13 (5) -- 6-4 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-1 (7) -- $2,319
26. Sawyer Grace -- Russellville, Ar -- 10-1 (5) -- 6-12 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-13 (9) -- $2,108
27. Shannon Pierce -- Rison, Ar -- 11-3 (5) -- 5-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-10 (10) -- $2,108
28. Fred Roumbanis -- London, Ar -- 9-3 (5) -- 7-6 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-9 (9) -- $2,308
29. Sheldon Collings -- Grove, Ok -- 4-5 (3) -- 11-15 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-4 (8) -- $2,108
30. Wayne Dixon -- Morrilton, Ar -- 6-7 (2) -- 9-12 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-3 (5) -- $2,108
31. Matt Wood -- Jessieville, Ar -- 14-5 (5) -- 1-13 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-2 (6)
32. Dylan Hays -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 11-14 (5) -- 4-2 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-0 (7)
33. Paul Browning -- Pecos, Tx -- 4-5 (2) -- 11-6 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-11 (7)
34. Kevin Rogers -- Pleasant Hill, Mo -- 6-14 (3) -- 8-10 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-8 (8)
35. Brandon Hunter -- Benton, Ky -- 4-12 (4) -- 10-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-7 (9)
36. Takayuki Koike -- Ohtsu, 25 -- 7-11 (5) -- 7-11 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-6 (8)
37. Eric Olliverson -- Lampe, Mo -- 9-8 (5) -- 5-10 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-2 (9)
38. Shane Long -- Willard, Mo -- 11-3 (5) -- 3-14 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-1 (8)
39. Chip Hawkins -- Little Rock, Ar -- 11-4 (5) -- 3-12 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-0 (7)
40. Joe Wieberg -- Freeburg, Mo -- 8-15 (3) -- 5-14 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-13 (7)
41. Mike Rhinehart -- Pottsville, Ar -- 4-8 (2) -- 10-3 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-11 (7)
42. Peter Wenners -- Galena, Mo -- 2-15 (1) -- 11-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-10 (6)
43. Mike Baysinger -- Marthasville, Mo -- 6-1 (3) -- 8-9 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-10 (7)
44. Scout Echols -- Monticello, Ar -- 4-8 (2) -- 10-0 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-8 (6)
45. Brent Algeo -- Ozark, Mo -- 9-6 (5) -- 5-2 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-8 (8)
46. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 5-3 (3) -- 8-15 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-2 (7)
47. Kevin Brown -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 5-5 (2) -- 8-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-1 (7) -- $200
48. Josh Hilton -- Clarksville, Ar -- 8-11 (4) -- 5-5 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-0 (7)
49. Beau Browning -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-9 (5)
50. Garrett Olivotti -- Roscoe, Il -- 3-14 (2) -- 9-11 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-9 (6)
51. Bryan Partak -- Marseilles, Il -- 5-0 (2) -- 8-6 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-6 (6)
52. Dale Andrews -- Jay, Ok -- 6-13 (4) -- 6-9 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-6 (8)
53. John Vogt II -- Boerne, Tx -- 8-12 (3) -- 4-6 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-2 (5)
54. Aaron Mize -- Clarksville, Ar -- 7-9 (4) -- 5-7 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-0 (7)
55. Troy Gibson -- Mountain Home, Ar -- 9-4 (5) -- 3-4 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-8 (10)
56. Brian Wilson -- Somerset, Ky -- 4-1 (3) -- 8-6 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-7 (7)
57. Charles Williams -- Clarksville, Ar -- 10-3 (4) -- 2-0 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-3 (5)
58. Wes Proctor -- Manhattan, Ks -- 3-11 (2) -- 8-5 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-0 (5)
59. Nicky Parsons -- West Fork, Ar -- 3-0 (2) -- 8-10 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-10 (6)
60. Ronny Webb -- Dyersburg, Tn -- 2-3 (1) -- 9-6 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-9 (5)
61. Justin Hayden -- Rogersville, Mo -- 7-15 (4) -- 3-8 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-7 (6)
62. Justin Mounce -- Springdale, Ar -- 3-10 (2) -- 7-12 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-6 (6)
63. Kenneth Graeber -- Bennington, Ne -- 8-15 (4) -- 2-5 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-4 (5)
64. Dan Martin -- Elmhurst, Il -- 9-14 (4) -- 1-5 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-3 (5)
65. Lawson Hibdon -- Versailles, Mo -- 8-10 (5) -- 2-9 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-3 (6)
66. Evan Barnes -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 1-5 (1) -- 9-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-1 (6)
67. Sheldon Rogge -- Green, Ks -- 4-9 (3) -- 6-8 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-1 (6)
68. Ryan Otto -- Mayer, Mn -- 5-4 (3) -- 5-1 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-5 (7)
69. Brian Futch -- Herrin, Il -- 9-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-13 (5)
70. Jack Covas -- Waco, Tx -- 4-0 (2) -- 5-8 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-8 (5)
71. James Marsh -- Thomas, Ok -- 1-13 (1) -- 7-6 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-3 (5)
72. Wade Ramsey -- Choctaw, Ok -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-11 (5)
73. Casey Scanlon -- Eldon, Mo -- 4-13 (2) -- 3-14 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-11 (4)
74. David Redington -- Winnsboro, Tx -- 4-9 (3) -- 4-0 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-9 (5)
75. Brien Vaughn -- Hollister, Mo -- 8-8 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-8 (5)
76. Nicholas Wade -- Arkadelphia, Ar -- 8-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-5 (5)
77. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 1-6 (1) -- 6-6 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-12 (5)
78. Randy Allen -- Gilliam, La -- 4-8 (2) -- 3-2 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-10 (4)
79. Michael Stetich -- Ankeny, Ia -- 3-13 (2) -- 3-13 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-10 (4)
80. Charlie Weyer -- Branson, Mo -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-8 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-8 (4)
81. Travis Harriman -- Huntsville, Ar -- 3-14 (2) -- 3-9 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-7 (4)
82. Scott Ashmore -- Broken Arrow, Ok -- 1-14 (1) -- 5-7 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-5 (4)
83. Marty Scudder -- Rison, Ar -- 3-0 (1) -- 4-2 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-2 (3)
84. Dewayne French -- Mammoth Spring, Ar -- 3-8 (2) -- 3-5 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-13 (4)
85. Brian Hanes -- Bernice, Ok -- 2-1 (1) -- 4-7 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-8 (4)
86. Mike Casada -- Stearns, Ky -- 6-4 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-4 (3)
87. Scott Rice -- Cobden, Il -- 2-7 (1) -- 3-12 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-3 (2)
88. Doyle Isom Jr -- Bourbon, Mo -- 1-15 (1) -- 4-0 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-15 (3)
89. Marcus Sykora -- Osage Beach, Mo -- 3-15 (3) -- 1-15 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-14 (4)
90. A.J. Mays -- Cabot, Ar -- 5-12 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-12 (3)
91. Matt Ells -- Mount Vernon, Mo -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-8 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-8 (3)
92. Cory Steckler -- Rocky Mount, Mo -- 5-7 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-7 (3)
93. James Watson -- Lampe, Mo -- 3-5 (2) -- 1-14 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-3 (3)
94. Robbie McDonald -- Little Rock, Ar -- 4-15 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-15 (3)
95. Mike Roller -- Purdy, Mo -- 1-11 (1) -- 3-3 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-14 (2)
96. Eddie Carper -- Valliant, Ok -- 2-1 (1) -- 2-13 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-14 (2)
97. Drew Sagely -- Rogers, Ar -- 2-5 (2) -- 2-7 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-12 (3)
98. Joey Schmidt -- Hickory, Ky -- 2-15 (1) -- 1-12 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-11 (2)
99. Jason Weast -- Macks Creek, Mo -- 4-2 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-2 (3)
100. Justin Hake -- Conway, Ar -- 3-0 (2) -- 1-2 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-2 (3)
101. Erick Fernengel -- Lake Waukomis, Mo -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-1 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-1 (2)
102. Adam Hornberger -- Troy, Il -- 4-0 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-0 (1)
103. Landon Snelson -- Ava, Mo -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-15 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-15 (2)
104. Mitchell Webb -- Skiatook, Ok -- 1-12 (1) -- 2-0 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-12 (2)
105. Chip Harrington -- Olathe, Ks -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-9 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-9 (2)
106. Rick Carpenter -- Fayetteville, Ar -- 1-13 (1) -- 1-11 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-8 (2)
107. Shawn Kowal -- Linn Creek, Mo -- 3-4 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-4 (2)
108. Troy O'Rourke -- Bentonville, Ar -- 2-0 (1) -- 0-14 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-14 (2)
109. Myrick Coil -- Camdenton, Mo -- 1-9 (1) -- 1-1 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-10 (2)
110. Jason Allred -- Bluffton, Mn -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-5 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-5 (1)
111. John (Jack) Morris Jr -- Robinson, Il -- 2-1 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-1 (1)
112. Josh Shirley -- Cabot, Ar -- 1-14 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 1-14 (1)
Ladd Shannon -- Atkins, Ar -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
Timothy Gill -- Madison, Wi -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
Colby Schrumpf -- Highland, Il -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
Brandon Lee -- Ratcliff, Ar -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
Lawson Tilghman -- Somerville, Tn -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
David Holbrook -- Lake Ozark, Mo -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
Tommy Martin -- Hemphill, Tx -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
Larry Caldwell -- Saint Peters, Mo -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
Martin Sims -- Huntsville, Ar -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0)
