LEESBURG, Fla. – The opening day of the Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats was dominated by vibrating jigs, and it was ChatterBait savant Brett Hite who did the most damage on the Harris Chain. The Arizona pro rode a a second-period barrage of Florida largemouth to finish the day with a commanding 40-pound lead over the rest of Group A.
Hite finished his astounding day on the Harris Chain with 34 scorable bass and a total weight of 83 pounds, 5 ounces, nearly doubling the weight of the second-place angler (Brent Chapman with 40-9). After a day that he called “a dream,” Hite was all smiles breaking down his round.
“I really have no complaints at all about how today went,” Hite said. “I’m fishing the way I love to fish, catching plenty of fish and catching a bunch of big ones. That’s what you get with a ChatterBait, though. My bait is really beat up, and that’s what you want.”
Hite did all of his damage with two different ChatterBait Jack Hammers—a ½-ounce with a metal blade and a Yamamoto Zako trailer as well as a ½-ounce Jack Hammer StealthBlade with a Yamamoto Zako trailer. He used an Evergreen glass rod, a Daiwa Tatula Elite reel and 20-pound Sunline fluorocarbon on both baits. Hite said that the one-two punch his different ChatterBaits provided was the big difference today.
“I was able to go back through areas with that StealthBlade because it’s plexiglass and doesn’t make as much noise as the metal blade,” Hite explained. “I think that really allowed me to catch those fish that weren’t going for something too noisy or flashy.”
While Hite had a good start to his morning in Period 1, he really built his lead in Period 2. The Daiwa pro caught 14 bass for more than 38 pounds, including his biggest bass of the day (an 8-8) during the second period. He closed out his day with nine more scorable bass in Period 3, securing the top spot on SCORETRACKER® and all but guaranteeing a qualifying round win once Sunday rolls around.
When watching the MLF NOW! live stream, it might look as though Hite is just fishing offshore not targeting really anything in particular. However, analyst JT Kenney mentioned that Hite is using his forward imaging from his electronics and casting to holes in the eelgrass. Hite said while he fished the same pattern for most of the day, that doesn’t mean he stayed in one specific spot.
“It’s not just one spot, I really have a massive area I’m fishing with a lot of fish in it,” Hite said. “I’m really hoping that I can come back out here on Sunday and catch them like I did. Then I can advance to the Championship Round, let those fish rest and try to come back to them.”
The Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Bass Cat Boats continues on Saturday with Qualifying Day 1 – Group B. The 40 anglers in Group B will set out on the Harris Chain for their first day of competition, where they will try to position themselves inside the top 20. Coverage begins with the MLF NOW! live stream on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MLF app beginning at 6:45 a.m. ET. Lines go in at 7 a.m. ET.