2:21 p.m.: It’s impossible to make the official call for the “Mover of the Day”, but it’s hard to argue with Andy Montgomery. The South Carolina pro started the day in 39th place with 1-14, but as we head into the last hour of the day, he’s battled his way into the Top 20. Montgomery has put 29-6 on SCORETRACKER today and has almost a 5-pound safety net between him and the elimination line.
-Joel Shangle
1:45 p.m. ET: Edwin Evers has made a move inside the Top 20 with a 1-9 fish that put him in 19th place. Matt Lee owns the final spot above the elimination line with Roy Hawk on the outside looking in at 21st. The anglers have one hour and 45 minutes left in the round.
-Mason Prince
1:20 p.m. ET: MLF NOW! analyst JT Kenney just summed it up best as we wind down to the 2-hour window of the final period of Elimination Round: “There’s no reset on today, if you don’t get it done NOW, you won’t get it done.”
Kenney is referring to the 10 or so anglers currently flirting with the Elimination Line. As of this entry, Roy Hawk holds down the 20th spot on SCORETRACKER, but Russ Lane, Edwin Evers, Stephen Browning, Cody Meyer and Tim Horton are within 3 pounds of Hawk.
Going to be a wild couple of hours for those guys.
-Joel Shangle
12:50 p.m. ET: Lines are out after Period 2 of Group A’s Elimination Round. The 40 anglers have one more period to fish their way into the top 20 and move on to the Knockout Round. Russ Lane currently owns the 20th spot with Edwin Evers, Stephen Browning, Cody Meyer, Roy Hawk and Timmy Horton close behind.
-Mason Prince
12:23 p.m. ET: Andy Montgomery has started to make a run towards the cut line. After catching only one fish for 1-14 in the Shotgun Round, Montgomery has reeled in 6 fish for 13-6 in the Elimination Round, moving him to 29th.
-Mason Prince
11:14 a.m. ET: … and just like that, Kelly Jordon has gone from near the bottom of SCORETRACKER into the Top 10. The Texas pro started the morning in 36th place after a tough Day 1 (3-13), but has put a Texas-sized whupping on the Kissimmee Chain this morning: he’s currently the day’s heavyweight champ with 22-12 on 11 fish.
-Joel Shangle
11:06 a.m. ET: Roughly halfway through this Elimination Round, Michael Neal is today’s big mover. The Tennessee pro currently has the heaviest weight on the day with 15-12, and jumped from just inside the cutline (he was 18th to start the day), and into the Top 10.
-Joel Shangle
10:59 a.m. ET: “Practice” makes perfect for Ott Defoe. The 4-2 that Ott DeFoe just put on SCORETRACKER came after the Tennessee pro abandoned a spot that he plans on saving for the Knockout Round. DeFoe had just moved a short ways away from a good spot, made a few flips and “Hello 4-pounder”.
-Garrick Dixon
10:29 a.m. ET: It’s moving day here in Kissimmee as the 40 anglers in Group A are battling it out on the water for the top 20 spots.
The Florida sun is fighting to sneak through the clouds and the temperatures remain in the 50s. However, there are still fish to be caught and a few anglers have already started moving up on SCORETRACKER.
Zack Birge moved into second place with a 5-pound, 8-ounce fish. Stephen Browning owns the biggest fish of the week so far with a 6-13 lunker he reeled in this morning, moving him just above the cut line.
-Mason Prince
7:35 a.m. ET:We’ll be paying plenty of attention today to Randy Howell, Ish Monroe, Zack Birge and the Group A Top 10, but when push comes to shove, the REAL anxiety exists further down SCORETRACKER to spots 17 through 25, where Greg Vinson, Michael Neal, Gary Klein, Cody Meyer and several other anglers jockey for a spot in the Top 20 and a spot in Saturday’s Knockout Round.
The Top 20 anglers from today join the Top 20 from tomorrow’s Group B Shotgun Round for the first-ever MLF Bass Pro Tour Knockout Round, which will be contested Saturday on the Kissimmee Chain.
And while there’s a wide weight gap from the Top 5 to middle of the Top 40, the 10 or so anglers hovering around that 20 spot are separated by less than 2 pounds.
“I had a terrible first day, but at least I know that I only have to make up 7 or 8 pounds today to get to the cutline,” said Fred Roumbanis. “In this format, 7 or 8 pounds is one good half-hour – you find a spot with some fish in it, and you can make up that weight in a hurry.”
-Joel Shangle