GALLERY: Rookie Ryan Salzman makes his Championship Round Debut

SPRING CITY, Tenn. – Rookie Ryan Salzman is more stoked than usual as he makes his debut in a Bass Pro Tour Championship Round at General Tire Stage Five on Watts Bar Lake Presented by Covercraft. The Alabama pro hit Watts Bar with hopes of adding a Bass Pro trophy and check to his nearly quarter-million-dollar career earnings.

Salzman placed 15th in Group A’s Qualifying Round with eight bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces using a drop shot near the bridge the entire time. He changed his approach in the Knockout Round, focusing around Watts Bar’s dam area using a drop shot and a soft plastic swimbait to finish third with 13 bass weighing 23-9.

Keep an eye on SCORETRACKER® and the MLF NOW! live stream today and watch him fish for his first major win.