RALEIGH, N.C. – There was something slightly different in the air at Farrington Point Boat Ramp this morning as Group A headed out onto Jordan Lake for their second day at General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Call it optimism. Call it swagger. Call it whatever you want, but you could definitely tell that “big fish” vibes were thicker this morning than the North Carolina pollen covering the water.

Berkley pro Adrian Avena unearthed the first evidence that the third day of this big-bass bash might be one for the record books: Avena started the morning with a 5-pound, 1-ouncer just 12 minutes into the competition, and then backed that up with a fat-bellied 8-9 just 34 minutes later, the biggest bass to make it onto SCORETRACKER® so far this week. That fish could secure Avena a $25,000 bonus if it holds up as the biggest bass of the Group A Qualifying Round. The Berkley Big Bass contingencies pay a cool $25,000 for the two groups, the Knockout Round big fish is worth $50,000, and the Championship Round will serve up a whopping $100,000 payday for the biggest fish.

Avena seemingly left the ramp this morning ready to swing for the proverbial fences: he caught his big fish on a 7-inch shad-colored glide bait, and has since added a 3-14 with the same big bait, boosting his morning total to 17-8 (vaulting him from 13^th into the Top 10 in the group).

This second qualifying day for Group A will likely be a slugfest all the way to the 3:30 p.m. EST lines out. The 10 anglers who advance out of the round will move on to Shearon Harris Reservoir for Tuesday’s Knockout Round, so there’s no reason for the top five anglers – currently Michael Neal, Boyd Duckett, Zack Birge, Chris Lane and Ish Monroe – to conserve fish or go into practice mode.

Pay close attention to SCORETRACKER® today or watch the MLF NOW! live stream to witness the action as it all happens. Lines out at 3:30 p.m. ET!