Becker tops 30 pounds again to pace Group B
EDENTON, N.C. — The Knockout Round field is set at U.S. Air Force Stage Five Presented by WIX Filters on the Chowan River, and it’s a clash of old-school and new-school fishing styles in eastern North Carolina.
It’s still too early to tell which approach will produce victory, but reigning Fishing Clash Angler of the Year Matt Becker, who entered Friday in second place, used the latter to top Group B with a two-day total of 62 pounds, 6 ounces. Alongside Group A winner Dustin Connell, Becker will lead the 20-angler field out of Pembroke Creek Park to start tomorrow’s Knockout Round.
Jacob Wheeler, the Day 1 leader for Group B, admitted that he planned to use the second day of qualifying to search for more water. He tallied four bass for 7-15, falling to fourth place. But where it counts will be the last two days of this event, and Wheeler is still one of the heavy favorites to win for a third time this season. Drew Gill (59-3) and Zack Birge (55-14) finished between Becker and Wheeler in second and third, respectively.
The fishing continues to be solid, and big bass are still being caught, including an event-best 8-3 Berkley Big Bass caught by Alton Jones Friday. That lunker helped push him into tomorrow’s Knockout Round, showing how crucial those big bites could be in determining a winner this week.
Complete results can be found here.
Becker adds another 30-plus
While there’s been some variance day to day, 30 pounds looks like it could be the key mark to qualify for Sunday’s Championship Round, with a handful of anglers putting that on SCORETRACKER® every day. Becker has now done it two days in a row, adding a day’s best 31-8 to 30-14 from his group’s opening day of fishing.
“Today went well and better than expected because I fished almost all new water,” he said. “I only fished one spot today that I did the first day. I spent most of the day expanding and looking for new water.”
Becker experienced a slow start to the event, boating just one scorable bass during his first morning of competition.
“I only had one fish at 12:30 p.m. the first day, and then I started putting the clues together,” he said. “I had all the puzzle pieces from practice but only started figuring out where they go that afternoon. I got a bite doing it and then ran that the rest of the day and then all day today. It was like a light bulb went off in my head.”
While not willing to disclose the details of his pattern, Becker did share that he was able to duplicate his success in several areas Friday, many of which are holding groups of fish.
“Every spot I caught fish on had multiples there,” he said. “I feel good about that, because I now have a lot of those little spots to hit. It’s hard to tell how many of those will bite, because I would catch one and then leave to look for new areas today.”
After catching 30 pounds or more both days, Becker feels that will be the mark needed to advance after weights zero overnight but cautions that it could be much higher.
“I feel like 30 pounds will be good enough to advance, but they are starting to catch them pretty well,” he said. “The thing is, though, many of these guys haven’t put their foot on the gas yet. I could have pressed a little harder today and caught a few more, but there was no sense in doing that today.”
Gill stays steady
A Bass Pro Tour rookie, Gill continued his stellar run to begin his career at the top level, showing he can catch them on a variety of fisheries. He opened the week on the Chowan with 28-7 and added 30-12 Friday, which surprised him after his practice.
“I did not expect to catch that because practice was mediocre at best,” he said. “I knew a deal that was working but didn’t know what made it different. The tournament is where I started to refine it. Now, I’ve refined it so much that I don’t know if I have enough water left to fish.”
Gill isn’t looking too far ahead but knows he will need more areas to have a shot to win.
“I’m feeling upbeat — that would be a good word for it,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting even to make it, so I’m ecstatic to get to the Knockout Round.”
Still, while Gill is grateful, he knows he has work to do if he hopes to advance one more time and contend for the win on Sunday.
“I feel like I can catch 25 pounds again; if I do that, I’ll let the chips fall where they may,” he said. “In the best-case scenario, I can do that and then look for more areas if I can advance. It will take at least 45 or 55 to win that last day, and I know I’m not on the fish to do that right now.”
What’s next for Stage Five
Saturday will bring the Top 10 anglers from both groups together for the first time this week. Half will go home, and the others will move on to the Championship Round, where $100,000 will be up for grabs.
Much of the field has experienced highs and lows across the first four days on the novel fishery, so no one seems to know quite what to expect. Keep up with the action on MLFNOW! from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. ET each day.
Fishing Clash Angler of the Year
Wheeler is still the man to beat for yet another Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title, but he can’t afford to slip at all. Eight of the Top 10 anglers in the points standings coming into this event are fishing in tomorrow’s Knockout Round. And with just two events remaining after this one, every day on the water matters. The action the rest of the week will help shape the race as it rounds into the home stretch.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game played by over 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.