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RALEIGH, N.C. (April 10, 2021) – Pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, North Carolina, boated 13 scorable bass totaling 44 pounds, 7 ounces to lead after day 1 for Qualifying Group B at the General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops. Thrift will bring a 6-pound, 12-ounce, lead over second-place pro Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Arkansas, into Monday’s second day of competition in the Qualifying Round for Group B. Browning landed 11 scorable bass totaling 37-11, while pro Cliff Pace of Petal, Mississippi, rounds out the top three, catching 11 bass totaling 36-10 to end the day in third place.

Link to Photo of Qualifying Round Group B Leader Bryan Thrift
Link to Photo Gallery of Highlights from Group B’s Day 1 on Falls Lake

Sunday will be the third day of competition in the six-day all-star tournament that showcases 40 anglers that qualified from the 2020 Bass Pro Tour season competing for more than $535,000, including a top prize of $100,000, and Big Bass Bonuses with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.

The 20 anglers in Group B will now have a day off on Sunday, while the 20 anglers from Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will finish their Qualifying Round on Monday.

“Today was a pretty good day, but I’m glad it’s over because I am tired and starting to cramp up,” said Thrift in the post-game interview. “Every bass that I caught today came from the same vicinity. I left for a couple of hours and tried to get bit elsewhere, but I never could put anything else together. I came back in here about midway through the third period and that was the end of it.”

Thrift credited two baits as being the key to his day.

“I caught all of my fish today on two baits – a white frog and a 5-inch black-and-red flake-colored Damiki Stinger,” Thrift said. “I threw the frog on my Signature Series 7-foot, 2-inch, medium-heavy Fitzgerald Frog rod, paired with an Abu Garcia Revo STX reel and spooled with 50-pound P-Line TCBX braid.

“For the Stinger, I fished it Texas-rigged and weightless,” Thrift continued. “I like throwing the weightless Stinger on a baitcaster, rather than a spinning rod. It flies through the air very streamlined, and you can use a little bigger line and can get a better hookset. This allows me to get it into tighter places and a little thicker cover and not worry about breaking fish off.”

Thrift’s Damiki Stinger setup was a 7-foot heavy Fitzgerald Stunner rod paired with the Abu Garcia Revo STX and 15-pound P-Line fluorocarbon line and a 5/0 Berkley Fusion 19 worm hook.

Stephen Browning was enthusiastic about his day on the water Saturday, excitedly talking about how he went “old-school” to catch his 11 fish.

“I got to fish in my wheelhouse today, the way I like fishing – kicking up the mud with the trolling motor and getting way back in the super-skinny water,” Browning said. “It was just my day, today. There was a timeframe right near the beginning of the second period where I struggled a little bit, but for the most part I made good moves all day.

“The fish were sitting in about 18 inches of water, and I went old-school on them,” Browning continued. “My equipment wasn’t old-school – I used a 7-foot, 4-inch St. Croix Legend heavy rod with a Lew’s Tournament Pro reel and 20-pound Gamma line, but just threw an old-school tube. I used a 5/0 Owner hook, and green-pumpkin and black and red flake were good in the morning, while green-pumpkin was better in the afternoon. It had to be a real subtle presentation.”

Third-place angler Cliff Pace credited his decisions on the water for his strong performance as well.

“Today is the best day that I’ve had since I’ve been here, so anytime that you can say that you have to be happy,” the Mississippi pro said. “I just had one of those days where pretty much everything I did worked. Every decision I made paid off in some way or another. I just kind of rolled with the flow today and was fortunate enough to continually just catch some throughout the day. I can’t complain, at all.”

The standings for the 20 pros from Qualifying Group B after Day 1 on Falls Lake are:
1^st:          Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 13 bass, 44-7
2^nd:         Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 11 bass, 37-11
3^rd:         Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., 11 bass, 36-10
4^th:         Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 29-5
5^th:         Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., eight bass, 26-13
6^th:         Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., seven bass, 22-9
7^th:         Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., six bass, 21-9
8^th:         Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 19-4
9^th:         Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 18-15
10^th:       Alton Jones, Woodway, Texas, six bass, 18-4
11^th:       Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, five bass, 13-15
12^th:       Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 10-9
13^th:       Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., three bass, 10-2
14^th:       Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., four bass, 9-10
15^th:       Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., three bass, 8-10
16^th:       Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., three bass, 7-4
17^th:       Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., one bass, 6-14
18^th:       Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, two bass, 5-6
19^th:       Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., one bass, 4-8
20^th:       James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., two bass, 4-3

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 111 bass weighing 356 pounds, 8 ounces caught by the 20 pros on Saturday, which included six 6-pounders, nine 5-pounders and twelve 4-pounders caught from Falls Lake.

Coulter weighed in the biggest bass of the day, a 6-pound, 14-ounce largemouth that he caught flipping a jig during Period 3. If Coulter’s fish remains the largest bass weighed by Group B after the conclusion of their Qualifying Round on Monday, he will take home a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus. Big Bass Bonuses are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds

The MLF General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops is hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

The 20 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Jordan Lake on Friday and Sunday – the 20 anglers in Group B on Falls Lake on Saturday and Monday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers that finish in 2nd through 10th place from both groups advance to Tuesday’s Knockout Round on Shearon Harris, while the winner of each group advances directly to Wednesday’s Championship Round on Shearon Harris. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed and the remaining 18 anglers compete to finish in the top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total wins.

The post Bryan Thrift Leads Qualifying Group B at Heavy Hitters appeared first on Bass365.com.

ORANGE, Texas — Putting significant distance between himself and the rest of the 98-boat field, Jason Christie amassed a two-day total of 28 pounds, 15 ounces and took over the Day 2 lead of the 2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.

Placing second on Thursday with 15-1, the pro from Park Hill, Okla., added 13-14 Friday.

Christie is running nearly two hours up the Sabine River to fish a small backwater area with abundant shallow cover and clear water. He caught fish flipping yesterday, but with more inflowing water, a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white/blue Booyah Covert spinnerbait with tandem nickel and gold Colorado blades produced best Friday.

“The water was high and the current was ripping in there and I’m starting to think that the best thing to do is just cover water when it’s high,” Christie said. “Tomorrow, I might go up there and it might be low and the current’s slowed down and I can catch them flipping again. I’ll just have to see what happens when I get there.”

Christie had previously visited his general area when the Elites last visited the Sabine in 2018. Expanding his waters led him to greater opportunity.

“I just didn’t go far enough the last time we were here, and it seems like they’re tucked in there a little ways,” Christie said. “I had practiced up there and, honestly, I had written it off, but I got home and looked at Google Earth and there was one place I hadn’t been.

“The bites I had in other places had been one here, one there, so I needed a place like I found that had a lot of fish.”

Christie has the place to himself, but that’s largely because of the daunting run through a winding river peppered with sandbars, floating logs and other day-wreckers. He’s running up and back at a cautious 35 to 40 mph.

“I could run faster, but maybe that was a blessing, because as soon as you start thinking you can run up there, you hit something,” Christie said. “So, I’m just cruising.”

The other consideration is fuel consumption. Christie runs a 21-foot XPress aluminum boat, which is significantly lighter than similar-sized fiberglass boats. To further lighten his load and increase fuel economy, he removed about 150 pounds of tackle from his boat.

Nevertheless, with no fueling options upriver from the takeoff site, Christie had to account for the extra weight of a cameraperson and related gear.

“I ran it in practice and I ran it the first day of the tournament by myself and, both times, when I shut down in my place, I’d have 20.8 or 20.6 gallons left, which is almost half of what I can carry,” Christie said. “Today, when I shut down, I had 19.4, so I knew that I had to do some switching.

“I dropped two gallons per hour and cruised at 10 to 11 and it really helped. The best I can figure, I (returned with) 3/4 gallon left.”

Christie said his conservative approach was essential for making the Top 49 cut. On Saturday, he’ll still carefully monitor fuel flow on his Garmin unit, but he may fish longer.

“Tomorrow, I feel like to have a chance to win I’m going to have to push it a little bit,” he said. “But it’s very nerve-wracking as far as fuel and getting back.”

Day 1 leader Brock Mosley again made the long run to the Houston area, added 12-4 to his opening weight of 15-10 — the event’s largest bag — and tallied 27-14. Facing windier conditions today, Mosley was initially planning to remain in the Sabine, but he made a spontaneous call to replicate his first day’s game plan.

“I asked a lot of my buddies on tour what they would do; most of them said they would go in a heartbeat,” Mosley said. “I made up my mind last night that I wasn’t going, but I was sitting there before takeoff and (fellow Elites) Drew Benton and Drew Cook were like, ‘Why aren’t you going?’

“I said, ‘I don’t think I can make it,’ and they said, ‘You know you already have enough to make the cut, you might as well try to win this thing and you’re not going to win it over here.’”

Returning to the same bayou on Houston’s east side, Mosley again targeted seawalls, docks and shoreline wood with a 1/2-ounce chartreuse/white Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer.

“I got over there, caught a couple of good ones really quick, left a little before 12 and got back a little after 2,” Mosley said. “I actually made it there quicker than I did yesterday, but I gave myself over three hours to get back. It only took me a little over two.”

Caleb Kuphall of Mukwonago, Wis., held steady in third place with 22-3. Adding 9-3 to the 13 pounds he weighed in on Day 1, Kuphall returned to the same area and fished a series of small channels off the main river.

“I spent most of my day in there and caught most of my keepers, but it’s getting hit hard and I may have to get something else going,” Kuphall said. “I caught my biggest fish in a different area with a similar scenario.”

Kuphall caught most of his fish on a homemade 3/8-ounce green pumpkin flipping jig with a craw chunk-style trailer. He caught his biggest fish on a spinnerbait.

Marc Frazier of Newnan, Ga., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 6-6 largemouth that he caught on Day 1.

Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., leads the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 340 points, followed by Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., with 331 and Christie with 303.

Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 261 points.

Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:45 a.m. CT at the City of Orange Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held at the ramp at 3 p.m., with the Top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Sunday.

Live coverage of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast the action live with the leaders beginning at 7 a.m. CT.

The tournament is being hosted by the Greater Orange Chamber of Commerce.

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala

2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partner: AFTCO

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

2021 Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River is sponsored by Bassmaster Fishing 2022 – the official video game of B.A.S.S.  4/8-4/11
Sabine River, Orange  TX.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Jason Christie         Park Hill, OK           10  28-15  100
Day 1: 5   15-01     Day 2: 5   13-14
2.  Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        10  27-14   99
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   12-04
3.  Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI           10  22-03   98
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   09-03
4.  Chris Johnston         Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10  21-08   97
Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 5   12-04
5.  Lee Livesay            Longview, TX            10  21-02   96
Day 1: 5   12-08     Day 2: 5   08-10
6.  KJ Queen               Catawba, NC             10  21-01   95   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   11-05     Day 2: 5   09-12
7.  Seth Feider            New Market, MN          10  20-10   94
Day 1: 5   09-13     Day 2: 5   10-13
8.  John Cox               Debary, FL              10  20-09   93
Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 5   11-05
9.  Matt Robertson         Kuttawa, KY             10  19-11   92
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   09-00
10. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            10  19-08   91
Day 1: 5   09-01     Day 2: 5   10-07
11. Brandon Card           Salisbury, NC           10  19-06   90
Day 1: 5   07-11     Day 2: 5   11-11
12. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA          10  19-04   89
Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   09-09
13. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           10  18-12   88
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   06-14
14. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA            10  18-07   87
Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   07-14
15. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          10  18-04   86
Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   07-11
16. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA              10  18-04   85
Day 1: 5   08-07     Day 2: 5   09-13
17. Kyle Welcher           Opelika, AL             10  17-13   84
Day 1: 5   10-02     Day 2: 5   07-11
18. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             10  17-09   83
Day 1: 5   07-09     Day 2: 5   10-00
19. Taku Ito               Chiba JAPAN             10  17-07   82
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 5   08-05
20. Drew Cook              Cairo, GA               10  17-06   81
Day 1: 5   09-15     Day 2: 5   07-07
21. Bob Downey             Hudson, WI              10  17-04   80
Day 1: 5   10-01     Day 2: 5   07-03
22. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  17-02   79
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 5   08-00
23. Yusuke Miyazaki        Forney, TX              10  16-15   78
Day 1: 5   08-10     Day 2: 5   08-05
24. Brian Snowden          Reeds Spring, MO        10  16-08   77
Day 1: 5   08-12     Day 2: 5   07-12
25. Scott Martin           Clewiston, FL           10  16-03   76
Day 1: 5   07-04     Day 2: 5   08-15
26. Harvey Horne           Bella Vista, AR         10  15-15   75
Day 1: 5   07-05     Day 2: 5   08-10
27. Randy Sullivan         Breckenridge, TX        10  15-15   74
Day 1: 5   08-03     Day 2: 5   07-12
28. Justin Atkins          Florence, AL            10  15-12   73
Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   06-01
29. Skylar Hamilton        Dandridge, TN           10  15-08   72
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 5   05-08
30. Pat Schlapper          Eleva, WI               10  15-08   71
Day 1: 5   07-13     Day 2: 5   07-11
31. Matt Herren            Ashville, AL            10  15-05   70
Day 1: 5   09-03     Day 2: 5   06-02
32. Jake Whitaker          Fairview, NC            10  15-05   69
Day 1: 5   07-09     Day 2: 5   07-12
33. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              10  15-03   68
Day 1: 5   07-08     Day 2: 5   07-11
34. Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         10  15-02   67
Day 1: 5   08-09     Day 2: 5   06-09
35. Quentin Cappo          Prairieville, LA        10  15-02   66
Day 1: 5   06-10     Day 2: 5   08-08
36. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  15-02   65
Day 1: 5   06-13     Day 2: 5   08-05
37. Marc Frazier           Newnan, GA               7  15-01   64   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 2   02-15
38. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             10  15-00   63
Day 1: 5   05-12     Day 2: 5   09-04
39. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        10  15-00   62
Day 1: 5   06-11     Day 2: 5   08-05
40. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX              10  14-15   61
Day 1: 5   05-14     Day 2: 5   09-01
41. Destin DeMarion        Grove City, PA          10  14-15   60
Day 1: 5   06-02     Day 2: 5   08-13
42. Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN            10  14-15   59
Day 1: 5   06-13     Day 2: 5   08-02
43. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  14-15   58
Day 1: 5   07-02     Day 2: 5   07-13
44. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT           10  14-13   57
Day 1: 5   04-02     Day 2: 5   10-11
45. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA             7  14-13   56
Day 1: 2   05-10     Day 2: 5   09-03
46. Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                10  14-13   55
Day 1: 5   07-10     Day 2: 5   07-03
47. Clark Wendlandt        Leander, TX             10  14-12   54
Day 1: 5   07-14     Day 2: 5   06-14
48. Drew Benton            Blakely, GA             10  14-11   53
Day 1: 5   07-04     Day 2: 5   07-07
49. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR               9  14-10   52
Day 1: 5   10-03     Day 2: 4   04-07
50. Buddy Gross            Chickamauga, GA         10  14-09   51   $5,000.00
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 5   05-07
51. Cliff Prince           Palatka, FL             10  14-07   50   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   06-00     Day 2: 5   08-07
52. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            10  14-04   49   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   08-03     Day 2: 5   06-01
53. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             10  14-03   48   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   08-09     Day 2: 5   05-10
54. Chris Groh             Spring Grove, IL         9  14-01   47   $2,500.00
Day 1: 4   05-11     Day 2: 5   08-06
55. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland AUSTRALIA     8  14-01   46   $2,500.00
Day 1: 3   06-04     Day 2: 5   07-13
56. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA            10  14-00   45   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   05-00     Day 2: 5   09-00
57. Joshua Stracner        Vandiver, AL            10  14-00   44   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   07-03     Day 2: 5   06-13
58. Justin Hamner          Northport, AL           10  13-05   43   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   08-01     Day 2: 5   05-04
59. Darold Gleason         Many, LA                 9  13-03   42   $2,500.00
Day 1: 4   06-07     Day 2: 5   06-12
60. Kenta Kimura           Osaka JAPAN              6  13-01   41   $2,500.00
Day 1: 1   01-00     Day 2: 5   12-01
61. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID             9  13-00   40   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   07-07     Day 2: 4   05-09
62. Chris Zaldain          Fort Worth, TX           9  12-12   39   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   06-04     Day 2: 4   06-08
63. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA          7  12-07   38   $2,500.00
Day 1: 3   05-04     Day 2: 4   07-03
64. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             10  12-06   37   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   05-01     Day 2: 5   07-05
65. Wes Logan              Springville, AL         10  12-03   36   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   07-12     Day 2: 5   04-07
66. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           8  12-03   35   $2,500.00
Day 1: 3   04-11     Day 2: 5   07-08
67. Bill Weidler           Helena, AL               9  12-01   34   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   06-06     Day 2: 4   05-11
68. Randy Pierson          Oakdale, CA             10  11-15   33   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   06-05     Day 2: 5   05-10
69. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  11-13   32   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   06-08     Day 2: 5   05-05
70. Cory Johnston          Cavan CANADA             8  11-04   31   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   07-15     Day 2: 3   03-05
71. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL            7  11-03   30   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   08-10     Day 2: 2   02-09
72. Jeff Gustafson         Keewatin Ontario CANADA  8  10-13   29   $2,500.00
Day 1: 3   04-10     Day 2: 5   06-03
73. Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN         8  10-11   28   $2,500.00
Day 1: 4   04-05     Day 2: 4   06-06
74. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               6  10-10   27   $2,500.00
Day 1: 1   02-10     Day 2: 5   08-00
75. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            8  10-10   26   $2,500.00
Day 1: 3   03-09     Day 2: 5   07-01
76. Jay Yelas              Lincoln City, OR         6  10-08   25
Day 1: 1   01-02     Day 2: 5   09-06
77. Gregory DiPalma        Millville, NJ            8  09-15   24
Day 1: 5   06-14     Day 2: 3   03-01
78. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN           7  09-13   23
Day 1: 3   04-04     Day 2: 4   05-09
79. Bryan New              Belmont, NC              8  09-10   22
Day 1: 4   04-10     Day 2: 4   05-00
80. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY              8  09-09   21
Day 1: 3   03-04     Day 2: 5   06-05
81. Derek Hudnall          Denham Springs, LA       8  09-09   20
Day 1: 4   05-00     Day 2: 4   04-09
82. Mike Huff              Corbin, KY               8  09-07   19
Day 1: 5   06-02     Day 2: 3   03-05
83. Clent Davis            Montevallo, AL          10  09-06   18
Day 1: 5   05-06     Day 2: 5   04-00
84. Frank Talley           Temple, TX               8  09-05   17
Day 1: 5   06-09     Day 2: 3   02-12
85. Micah Frazier          Newnan, GA               8  08-15   16
Day 1: 3   03-00     Day 2: 5   05-15
86. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC           8  08-15   15
Day 1: 3   03-08     Day 2: 5   05-07
87. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  8  08-08   14
Day 1: 5   05-09     Day 2: 3   02-15
88. David Fritts           Lexington, NC            8  08-05   13
Day 1: 3   03-03     Day 2: 5   05-02
89. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC           8  08-02   12
Day 1: 5   04-10     Day 2: 3   03-08
90. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD                6  07-06   11
Day 1: 1   01-02     Day 2: 5   06-04
91. Cody Hollen            Beaverton, OR            5  07-05   10
Day 1: 1   01-05     Day 2: 4   06-00
92. Kyle Monti             Okeechobee, FL           5  07-01    9
Day 1: 5   07-01     Day 2: 0   00-00
93. Garrett Paquette       Canton, MI               5  06-03    8
Day 1: 2   02-07     Day 2: 3   03-12
94. Chad Morgenthaler      Reeds Spring, MO         5  06-02    7
Day 1: 1   01-11     Day 2: 4   04-07
95. Chad Pipkens           Dewitt, MI               5  05-13    6
Day 1: 1   01-01     Day 2: 4   04-12
96. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL            3  04-09    5
Day 1: 1   01-05     Day 2: 2   03-04
97. Rob Digh               Denver, NC               2  02-15    4
Day 1: 2   02-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
98. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          1  01-09    3
Day 1: 1   01-09     Day 2: 0   00-00

———————————————————————–

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1   Marc Frazier             Newnan, GA          06-06      $1,000.00
2   KJ Queen                 Catawba, NC         04-06      $1,000.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        71       420       679-12
2        73       440       680-14
———————————-
144       860      1360-10

The post Christie Pushes Deep For Lead In Bassmaster Elite Series Event At Sabine River appeared first on Bass365.com.

Before Caleb Sumrall ever weighed a solid five fish limit on day one of the Dovetail Games Bassmaster Elite at the Sabine River, it was easy to see the Carhartt pro was feeling right at home.

Sumrall likes the way this fishery sets up, but most importantly he has his family here in Orange, Texas this week. Having his wife Jacie, their daughter Clelie, and son Axel in town has provided a sense a peace far more critical than any particular fishing detail.

“My family is always my support crew when I’m at these tournaments, but it’s not too often I get to have them here,” Sumrall said with a smile. “Knowing I get to see their faces at weigh-in and can give them a hug at the end of the day makes all the difference in the world.”

Sumrall lives just two short hours from this notorious river system and while he didn’t finish where he would have liked to on his first trip here in 2018, he left knowing he could improve on his result.

“In 2018 I learned I can attack this place exactly like I fish at home on the Atchafalaya Basin,” Sumrall explained. “I’ll talk more specifically about how I’m catching my fish tomorrow, but it’s straight up shallow water power fishing. I haven’t even been putting my electronics on the front deck of my boat this week. I’m committed to skinny water and I love it!”

Much like many of his fellow competitors, Sumrall is making a relatively long 45-mile run in his Yamaha powered Xpress Boat to his primary area each day and is fishing around several other anglers. The lighter aluminum boat coupled with his Yamaha Outboard’s performance in super shallow water is something Sumrall believes gives him an edge over his peers.

Sumrall is able to access harder to reach places where some other anglers simply can’t get. When every single keeper bite is crucial like on the Sabine River, small subtleties and details are magnified. Sumrall is wisely leaning into the advantages his equipment provides for this tournament. 

Another important factor Sumrall has on his side this week is momentum. Sumrall is coming off back-to-back top 20 finishes on the Tennessee River and Pickwick Lake. He is fishing well and feeling extremely good mentally and physically; all important pieces of the puzzle that play into professional anglers’ performance on the water. 

The 2017 B.A.S.S. Nation Champion finished day one tied for 17^th place and hopes to bring another solid five fish limit to the scales to give his family and support crew something to cheer about. But at the end of the day, he knows the people around his boat are far more important than the fish in his livewell. 

The post Sumrall Feeling at Home on Sabine appeared first on Bass365.com.