Heavy Hitters Knockout Round Delivers Big on Kissimmee Chain
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – It appears that the fishing at Toyota Heavy Hitters Presented by Venmo on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes is starting to pick up. The 36 pounds, 3 ounces it took Gary Klein to advance far exceeded the expectations of all of the MLF NOW! analysts at the start of the day.
After four days in the central Florida heat, many of the 38 anglers fishing Thursday’s round were clearly starting to dial in their patterns, and the Knockout Round turned into an old-fashioned free-for-all.
Especially in the final period.
RELATED: Full results
Adrian Avena, Justin Lucas, and Bryan Thrift battled throughout the final hour for the last two spots in the Championship Round, and their last-minute heroics pushed them to fourth, fifth, and sixth place, respectively, bumping Wesley Strader from contention. Add in the biggest bass of the day in the final 30 minutes by Michael Neal and it was a wild ending to the day.
Neal’s 8-pound, 15-ounce giant was just an ounce bigger than Jordan Lee’s and he’ll take home $50,000 for catching one of the four 8-pound-plus fish on the day. There were also three bass over 7 pounds landed in what was the best big-bass day of Heavy Hitters so far this week.
All 10 anglers remaining in the Championship Round field have a shot at the title, but the Friday’s 3-pound minimum weight looms large. For some, that’s not an issue based on what they’re catching, but other anglers have gotten this far on a quantity, not quality.
If the Knockout drama was any indication, the final day will serve up a battle until lines out is called and the inaugural Heavy Hitters Champion claims his crown.
Rose Continues Finesse Approach
Mark Rose still has the biggest bass of the week, and in the Knockout Round, caught most of his fish with the same unconventional Florida approach of using light line and spinning gear to total 13 bass for 52-5. His single-day weight was second only to Zack Birge’s opening-day total and included a 7-12 big fish.
“I’m very thankful for the day I had,” Rose said. “Anytime you can be in a Championship Round against this group, you have to feel good about it.”
He’s hoping for a repeat performance to have a shot at the win.
“If I have another day like (the Qualifying ROund), where everything came off, I won’t have a chance,” he said. “If I can duplicate today, I think we can make a run at it.”
Connell Finishes Second
Alabama’s Dustin Connell finished the day with 44-12 ounces and a day’s best 16 bass.
“It was an awesome day and I get to put my name in the hat with a one in 10 shot at winning this thing,” Connell said.
Jordan Lee Ends Up Third
After catching 44 pounds, 9 ounces, Lee finished third on the day, but the disappointment of losing out on $50,000 weighed on him as time expired.
It looked like his 8-14 largemouth would be good enough for much of the day, but Neal foiled those plans by 1 ounce.
“I’m pretty bummed, especially since it was right at the end,” Lee said. “That’s how it goes, but my hat’s off to Michael. But, I made the Championship Round and that’s always the goal in one of these.”
Neal’s $50k Catch
There were four bass over 8 pounds caught in the round, but the last one was worth a cool $50,000 for Neal. Neal caught the bruiser on a 1/2-ounce vibrating jig with a Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper swimbait serving as the trailer.
Looking Ahead
The Championship Round anglers will see partly cloudy skies with a forecasted high of 89 degrees. The prediction is for winds to 12 miles per hour.
Knockout Round Notables
- The Berkley Big Bass of the day was Neal’s 8-15 largemouth.
- Dustin Connell landed the most bass with 16 bass for the day.
- Mark Rose caught the most weight on the day with 52-5.
Championship Round Field
- Mark Rose: 52-05
- Dustin Connell: 44-12
- Jordan Lee: 44-09
- Adrian Avena: 43-02
- Justin Lucas: 40-03
- Bryan Thrift: 37-08
- Jacob Wheeler: 36-04
- Gary Klein: 36-03
They’ll be joined by Zack Birge (Group A Qualifying Round winner) and Skeet Reese (Group B Qualifying Round winner).
How, When, Where to Watch
Watch all three periods of competition during MLF NOW! live stream beginning at 6:45 a.m EST. Watch for free on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app or MyOutdoorTV. The General Tire Takeout show starts at approximately 3:00 p.m. EST after the competition.