Birge Surges in Kissimmee, Ehrler Banks Big Bass of Group A
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Today was moving day at the Toyota Heavy Hitters Presented by Venmo on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes on a balmy day in central Florida. With the weights being tight, there was bound to be some movement on SCORETRACKER®.
Thirty-five of the 40 anglers in Group A were within 12 pounds, 5 ounces (above or below), the 20th position going into the day. Once the dust settled, five anglers moved in and five are done for the week.
RELATED: Full results
Fred Roumbanis (23rd to 20th), Jared Lintner (24th to 16th), Anthony Gagliardi (34th to 13th), Randy Howell (35th to 18th), Dustin Connell (38th to 19th) all helped themselves with solid performances today to advance.
On the other side of things, Boyd Duckett (10th to 27th), Dean Rojas (15th to 26th), Brent Chapman (18th to 31st), Alton Jones Jr. (19th to 22nd), and Cliff Pace (20th to 34th) all fell out of contention for the event.
At the top of the standings, Zack Birge continued to dominate the event and won the round by nearly 20 pounds as many in the Top 10 switched to practice mode when it was apparent that he was not slowing down.
Birge Gains Championship Round Berth
Even with a massive lead, Birge never truly felt safe today until midway in Period 3. Part of his uneasiness was likely due to who was lurking behind him as both Bryan Thrift and Jordan Lee are known for closing gaps in a hurry.
“We got it done. Today was a lot of fun,” Birge said. “That was the goal today, finish it off and make the Championship Round.”
He added seven bass for 20-12 to his total, bringing it to 74-3.
The areas that Birge is fishing are dependent on current and he’s unsure of how it will pan out when he returns to the water in two days.
“It’s not looking good because the current is slowing down,” he said. “I’m hoping some of this rain we are supposed to get tonight and tomorrow will help.”
Ehrler Pockets $25,000
Thanks to his 8-pound, 6-ounce bass on Sunday, Brent Ehrler will take home the first of four big bass bonuses during the event, securing $25,000 for catching the biggest bass in Group A’s two qualifying rounds.
He finished the round in 12th place to advance, so he has a chance at the $50,000 that will be awarded for the biggest bass of the Knockout Round.
Ehrler had all day to wonder if it would be beaten and he was relieved to find out that it was official.
“I had a feeling it would be big enough to win it, but I was still stressing it all day and counting down the minutes,” Ehrler said. “Mark Rose catching that big one yesterday at the end of the day had me worried all afternoon.”
Roumbanis Survives
Roumbanis lives to fight another day. He bounced in and out of the Top 20 for most of the day before resting at the 20th-place position for much of Period 3.
Five anglers were within a pound of bumping him, but it never happened. Roumbanis said he suffered through lost fish and broken line, but came away unscathed.
“It shouldn’t have been that close, to begin with, and I got lucky to survive,” he recapped. “I was sweating it, knowing those guys are going to catch another one and it never happened. I still can’t believe it.”
Roumbanis finished the round with 21 pounds, 7 ounces.
Looking Ahead
Group B heads back to the Kissimmee Chain tomorrow with similar weather conditions. They’ll see a forecasted high of 91 degrees with scattered thunderstorms and an 80 percent chance of rain.
Qualifying Round Notables
- The Berkley Big Bass of the day was Jared Lintner with his 6-11 largemouth.
- Matt Lee landed the most bass with eight bass for the day.
- Lee also earned the Phoenix Daily Leader award with 26 pounds, 5 ounces.
Qualifying Round, Group A Top 10
- Zack Birge: 74-03
- Bryan Thrift: 55-09
- Jordan Lee: 51-09
- Gary Klein: 48-04
- Matt Lee: 43-07
- Kelly Jordon: 39-08
- John Murray: 38-09
- Kevin VanDam: 37-04
- Michael Neal: 33-12
- Gerald Spohrer: 32-09
How, When, Where to Watch
Watch all three periods of competition during MLF NOW! live stream June 7-12 beginning at 6:45 a.m EST. Watch for FREE on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app or MyOutdoorTV. The General Tire Takeout show begins at approximately 3:00 p.m. EST after each day of competition.