Matt Ells Wins BFL on Lake of the Ozarks

For Immediate Release:

September 27, 2022

Media Contact: Jordan Cecil

jordan.jewelbait@gmail.com

Matt Ells wins BFL using Jewel Jigs and Virtus/Jewel Rods 

Matt Ells of Shell Knob, MO wins the two day Ozark Division BFL on Lake of the Ozarks with a winning total of 35.07. Ells caught his fishing skipping a Jewel Jig around boat docks, giving him his first career BFL win. Matt used a combination of 3 different Jewel Jigs to get the job done: Jewel 1/2oz Football Jig, 3/4oz Football Jig, and 7/16 Finesse Jig, with the 1/2oz Football Jig being his primary jig of choice for both days of competition. Ells had this to say about his win, “Winning the BFL on Lake of the Ozarks is a dream come true, and it’s even better that I got to do it fishing the way I love to fish. My passion and favorite technique in all of fishing is skipping a jig around boat docks.” 

Lake of the Ozarks is a boat dock fishing paradise, so Ells had to eliminate what docks were not going to work. The docks that Ells focused on were shallow docks in anywhere from 1-15 feet of water with docks in the 2-8 foot range being the absolute best. Day 1 was huge for Ells because while he had already figured out the best docks in practice, he hadn’t quite figured out exactly how to talk those big fish into biting. With about 20 minutes to go in the day, Ells put the pieces of the puzzle together. Ells figured out that the fish wanted to bite that jig when he was swimming it out from under the docks. So Ells made some important culls in the last 20 minutes, including catching a 5lber, to get his total weight up to 16.10, which put him into striking distance to have a chance to win on day 2, championship Sunday. And on day 2 he capitalized on it, to the tune of an 18.13 bag anchored by 6.30 big bass.

Matt said one of the major keys to his win was the rod he was using. Ells was using Virtus/Jewel Red Diamond Series Stunner. The Stunner is a 6’10” Heavy action rod that is perfect for skipping and flipping around docks. “The Virtus/Jewel Rods are some of the most impressive rods I have ever used! They are so light and sensitive, and I was able to put my jig in places I never have before,” said Ells.

You can get all of the jigs and rods that Matt Ells used in his victory at www.jewelbait.com.