LIVE BLOG: Group A Battles for Top 20 in Elimination Round 1

Brandon Palaniuk is fighting to make it into the Top 20 as time winds down in Elimination Round 1. Photo by Phoenix Moore Photo by Phoenix Moore. Angler: Brandon Palaniuk.

June 27, 2019 • Mason Prince • Bass Pro Tour

NEENAH, Wi. — The ever-so-important Elimination Round is upon us in eastern Wisconsin. Lake Winnebago will be the sight of a heavyweight fight between the 40 anglers in Group A and after seven-and-a-half hours of fishing, only 20 will be moving on to Saturday’s Knockout Round. We saw Gary Klein post 60 pounds in his Shotgun Round and, so far, he has been the only angler to break the 60-pound threshold.

This day is not only about surviving to continue in Stage Eight, but also to continue their hunt for REDCREST qualification. Fourteen pros competing today still have a chance to qualify for the REDCREST Championship, but that number will surely dwindle today as some fall below the Elimination Line.

2:40 p.m. CT – It could not be any closer near the Elimination Line with so much on the line. Andy Montgomery owns the final spot in the Top 20 but Edwin Evers, Boyd Duckett, Skeet Reese and Gerald Swindle are all within 3 pounds of overtaking him. With less than an hour remaining, anything could happen on Lake Winnebago. A Top 20 Evers helps him to continue to fend off Jeff Sprague for the Points Championship while Swindle needs a Knockout Round berth to continue to his REDCREST aspirations.

2:05 p.m. CT – Gerald Swindle, Alton Jones, Mark Daniels, Jr., Mark Davis, and Josh Bertrand all need to make the Knockout Round if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive. Currently, Daniels is the only one of those pros inside the Top 20.

1:08 p.m. CT – There is plenty of tension near the Elimination Line. Fifteenth place to 24th place are only separated by 7 pounds, 2 ounces. There is still plenty of time for an angler to make a move towards the Top 20 but right now Edwin Evers is the last man in and Brent Ehrler is the first man out.

Dustin Connell shows off his bait and his 2-8 largemouth.

Matt Lee catches a 2-3 largemouth in Period 3.

11:55 a.m. CT – Edwin Evers is holding on to the final spot in the Top 20 but he has multiple anglers right on his tail. Todd Faircloth, Andy Montgomery, Anthony Gagliardi, Jeff Kriet, and Brandon Palaniuk are all within 3 pounds of overtaking Evers.

Justin Atkins catches a 2-9 smallmouth in Period 2.

11:30 a.m. CT – There are five pros that must make it to the Knockout Round if they want a chance at competing in the REDCREST Championship–Gerald Swindle, Alton Jones, Mark Daniels, Jr., Mark Davis, and Josh Bertrand–and right now only two of those pros are in the Top 20. Swindle and Daniels are safe right now, but they are far from comfortable with more than one period to go.

11:10 a.m. CT – The leader in the Race to the Points Championship, Edwin Evers, is now inside the Top 20 in 17th place. Evers spent the majority of his day so far below the Elimination Line and was in danger of missing the Knockout Round. The Oklahoma pro has gone on a run and moved up into a favorable position with more than one period remaining.

10:25 a.m. CT – An update on REDCREST qualification: Brandon Palaniuk needs better than a 71st-place finish to earn enough points to qualify for the REDCREST Championship. He currently sits 33rd in Group A and is below the Elimination Line. Alton Jones needs to make the cut if he wants a shot to qualify, but he currently sits in 27th place and 3-13 below the Elimination Line. Josh Bertrand needs an 18th-place finish but he is below the Elimination Line as well.

Mark Daniels, Jr. finds a 3-7 largemouth to move into 14th place.

Brandon Coulter grabs a 2-9 smallmouth in Period 2.

10:06 a.m. CT – Kevin VanDam has now found himself in second place behind Gary Klein. The Michigan native has been on fire today posting 21-8 which has jumped his total weight to 66-3.

9:35 a.m. CT – After one period on the water, here’s the Top 20 pros right now:

Gary Klein 68-00
Michael Neal 64-15
Kevin VanDam 63-00
Mike Iaconelli 59-05
Scott Suggs 58-02
Greg Vinson 56-14
Brandon Coulter 54-13
Alton Jones, Jr. 54-02
James Watson 50-04
Dustin Connell 50-01
Brent Chapman 49-15
Gerald Spohrer 49-00
Casey Ashley 44-06
Matt Lee 41-04
Mark Daniels, Jr. 39-08
Skeet Reese 39-00
Gerald Swindle 38-12
Boyd Duckett 38-04
Andy Montgomery 37-05
Todd Faircloth 37-03

James Watson is in ninth place thanks to this 2-14 largemouth.

Scott Suggs catches a 3-pound smallmouth in Period 1.

9:10 a.m. CT – Edwin Evers is trying to fight his way into the Top 20. The first-place angler in the Points Championship standings is in 21st place and only 4 ounces behind Todd Faircloth.

8:25 a.m. CT – Keep an eye on Michael Neal. The Tennessee pro is the big mover of the day with 15-13 and has now jumped ahead of Gary Klein for first place. Neal has an outside shot at winning the Points Championship, but he will need some help. He is 45 points behind first-place Edwin Evers, so Neal will need to make the Knockout Round and get some help from Evers and second-place Jeff Sprague.

8:00 a.m. CT – A glance down at the Elimination Line and it’s a bit of a log jam down there. Dave Lefebre owns the No. 20 spot with 32 pounds, 6 ounces, but he is tied with Alton Jones in weight with the tiebreaker being number of fish caught. Matt Lee, Andy Montgomery and Brent Ehrler are all within 3 pounds of those two anglers as Period 1 continues.

7:13 a.m. CT – Cody Meyer told me something yesterday that has continued to stick out to me. Although Meyer is in Group B, he says that the area he and a majority of other anglers were fishing was getting quite pressured in his Shotgun Round. He also said that some of the fish looked like they had been caught previously. If this area that Meyer speaks of is the same area that a lot of pros in Group A are fishing as well, we could see some lower numbers on SCORETRACKER® this morning.