Jordan Lee may have been the final boat to leave Big Toho Marina this morning for his second competition day on the Kissimmee Chain, but that didn’t stop him from lighting up the SCORETRACKER early and often. An impressive morning flurry in “Thump City” helped Lee finish Group A’s Qualifying Round(s) in 3rd place and qualify for Thursday’s Knockout Round in Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo.
“Thump City” is an offshore area on Lake Toho and Lee jokingly explained its name was derived from the aggressive “thump” his swimbait commonly receives when he visits this spot in the early mornings.
“I had a feeling (the spot) could end up being a special place,” Lee said. “In practice I found the area by idling and staring at my Lowrance units. I made a cast in there and immediately hook a two-pounder, but when I reeled that fish in I watched one about six-pounds try to take the bait from the little one’s mouth. That sorta thing doesn’t happen too often, so I knew it had the chance to be really good.”
Realistically, finding a special place or two seems to be somewhat common for Lee in Bass Pro Tour competition. On top of winning 2019’s inaugural BPT event, which was held on the Kissimmee Chain, Lee has amassed four more top tens and only missed qualifying for the Knockout Round twice in thirteen Bass Pro Tour tournaments. Pretty strong for an angler yet to celebrate their 30th birthday.
Many have speculated on what makes Lee so dynamic on the water; does he think like a fish, is it a God given talent, his tireless work ethic, or as MLF color analyst Marty Stone pointed out on today’s coverage could it have something to do with Lee’s cool and calm demeanor?
In reality Lee’s success is likely due to a combination of all these things, but there is certainly something to be said for Lee’s cool-as-a-cucumber disposition. If you tuned into today’s live stream, you witnessed a perfect example to the upside of Lee’s even-keeled nature.
After leaving Big Toho Marina as boat 40 and leaning on a group of fish inhabiting “Thump City”, Lee experienced battery issues. Even though it was minor, the issue forced Lee to run his Yamaha Outboards powered Ranger Boat to the service crew back at the marina, costing him about an hour of fishing time.
Losing precious competition time is something we’ve seen spin out even the most veteran professional angler, but Lee seemed absolutely un-phased. Lee sat on the front deck and calmly waited while service techs worked on his boat. Upon returning to the water Lee bypassed “Thump City”, ran to a completely different area and promptly caught a five-pound bass. Unbe-Lee-vable.
“I try to avoid letting myself get too high or too low,” Lee explained. “Whether we like it or not, mechanical issues and things we can’t control are going to happen every so often. Throwing a fit doesn’t help anything. To be honest my personality has always been pretty even-keeled… I think it definitely helps in our sport.”
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