Bertrand Holds Off Browning for Lead on Mille Lacs; Lee Holds On to Slim AOY Chance
ONAMIA, Minn. – Smallmouth were smashed all day on Mille Lacs during the first day of Bally Bet Stage Seven Presented by Minn Kota, but two anglers stood above the rest of the 40-man field. Drop-shot master Josh Bertrand and vibrating jig enthusiast Stephen Browning finished first and second Saturday on SCORETRACKER®, each with more than 84 pounds of smallmouth.
While it was a back-and-forth third period, it was Bertrand who ended the day on top with 27 bass for 86 pounds, 13 ounces, separating himself from second-place Browning by just 2 pounds.
Bertrand Uses Trio of Baits to Earn Lead
Bertrand will enjoy his day off on Sunday knowing that he’s in a prime position to win Group A. The Arizona pro caught all of his fish with three different baits — a crankbait, a drop-shot and a Carolina rig.
“It felt good that multiple different things worked for me today,” Bertrand said. “I didn’t have to rely on just one bait or technique to catch all my fish. It was just one of those days that flowed really well and I got lucky.”
His morning began with a flurry, catching 12 smallmouth for 37 pounds and grabbing the lead after one period. Nine of his first 12 bass came on a crankbait, something Bertrand feels extremely comfortable throwing on Mille Lacs this time of the year.
“A crankbait is a great way to load up on this lake in the early morning,” Bertrand said. “I was lucky to hit that morning feeding window with us starting a little later in the morning. After those I caught in the morning, I slowed down with that Carolina rig and a drop-shot and had to pluck away at ‘em.”
While he had about an hour or so during the second period in which he didn’t catch a scorable bass, the Berkley pro was able to get back on track about halfway through the period with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm on a drop-shot.
Bertrand will enter his second day of competition on Monday with a slim 2-pound lead over Browning. Meteorologists predict the weather will take a turn for the worse on Wednesday — the day of the Knockout Round. Because of that, Bertrand says he’s going to do everything he can to punch his ticket to the Championship Round on Monday to avoid the unpredictable weather altogether.
“My focus is just to beat Browning,” Bertrand said. “I know he’s going to catch ‘em, so I just have to hold him off. The weather is perfect right now and will be until Wednesday, so I don’t want to risk messing around with the Knockout Round if I don’t have to.”
An Eye on AOY
If Jordan Lee wants any shot at all to stay in contention for Bally Bet Angler of the Year, he needed a strong showing on Saturday. He delivered with a fifth-place finish after catching 15 bass for 46-11.
He began Stage Seven 65 points behind Jacob Wheeler, so if Wheeler finishes in 65th place or higher, he will clinch the AOY title. In the unlikely event Wheeler has a catastrophic finish, Lee likely needs to make the Top 10 himself, and probably just about win the event. So, he’s at least done his part on Day 1, and is in good position to clinch a spot in Wednesday’s Knockout Round if he comes at Mille Lacs with another strong showing on Monday.
Daily Leaders
- The Berkley Big Bass belongs to Stephen Browning with a 5-8 smallmouth.
- Josh Bertrand had the most weight on SCORETRACKER® with 86-13.
- Bertrand also caught the most scorable bass with 27.
What’s Next
Bally Bet Stage Seven Presented by Minn Kota continues on Sunday as Group B takes on Mille Lacs Lake. The group is headlined by Wheeler, who is looking to lock up his second straight AOY title. The 40 pros will fish for three periods on Mille Lacs and will try to catch as many scorable bass as they can. Their weights will carry over to their second day of competition on Tuesday. You can watch Group B’s entire day on MLF NOW! beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET on MajorLeagueFishing.com or the MLF app.