Lee Leads Potent Lineup of Five Out of REDCREST Knockout Round 2, Championship Sunday Awaits
GROVE, Okla. –The second Knockout Round at REDCREST 2022 presented by Costa provided some fireworks both early and late in the day. It also featured more bass on SCORETRACKER® compared to the first Knockout Round on Grand Lake Friday.
All five anglers who advanced to the Championship Round on Saturday had more weight than Friday’s winner, Luke Clausen. The logical explanation is that Grand Lake’s largemouth are waking up after a series of weather changes, which bodes well for the fishing on Championship Sunday.
Alabama’s Jordan Lee leads a star-studded group of five anglers into the final day after catching 11 bass for 33 pounds, 2 ounces. Michael Neal, Dustin Connell, Bobby Lane, and Jacob Wheeler are right behind him. Along with the top finishers from yesterday, the Championship Round is stacked and setting up to be a shootout for $300,000 and the title of 2022 REDCREST Champion.
Lee Wins the Day
Lee had the best weight of anyone fishing in his second Qualifying Day, vaulting 30 places to qualify for the Knockout Round. After a day off on Friday, Lee was anxious to pick up where he left off.
“I’m feeling really good about the day and was super happy to have a good morning bite,” Lee said. “I was able to catch them in the same places as the other day, doing the same thing.”
Lee has been catching fish with various jerkbaits while watching his forward-facing sonar but did find a shallower bite late in the day.
“I used five or six different jerkbaits and my Lowrance ActiveTarget was key,” he said. “I don’t have unlimited spots, but everywhere I thought I could catch them today, I did. I eased up shallow later in the day and caught some on a jig and that was more fun than anything, but I don’t think I’ll be able to catch enough doing that to win.”
Neal Takes it Easy
Tennessee pro Neal ended the day with 12 for 31-9 but likely could have caught much more. After feeling that he had caught enough to safely advance, he left his main area and searched for more water.
“I laid off those fish about 30 minutes into the second period,” Neal said. “The winning fish are there and the only questions are if they will stay and if they cooperate tomorrow. I’ll be around the fish to win; I just don’t know what I’ll have to catch since I don’t know if everyone else let off their fish.”
Connell Third Angler Over 30
Reigning REDCREST Champion and winner of the last Bass Pro Tour event heading into the championship event, Connell was the third angler with over 30 pounds on the day, with 10 for 31-5. He did it in the way he loves to fish, with a jerkbait and Lowrance ActiveTarget.
“It was a good day, and I caught them my favorite way,” Connell said. “I got a little pattern going, but feel like I’m going to have to run new water if I have a chance to win. I have some places, but I don’t think it’s enough to beat these guys with what I have now.”
Connell is going all-in on the jerkbait tomorrow.
“I may crank a little in the morning, but I’ll have four jerkbait rods on the deck for the rest of the day,” he said.
Wheeler Takes Final Spot
Wheeler appeared in danger of missing the cut for much of the day. He sat with two bass for 6-2 to begin the third period. Then he added a 3-14, 3-3, 4-11, 2-11, and the day’s Berkley Big Bass of 5-11 to overtake Mark Davis for the final spot in the Championship Round. Wheeler finished with seven bass for 26-11.
“It was a pretty freaking good way to end the day,” he said. “I kept seeing myself dropping further down and had to adjust. I went to a new area I hadn’t fished since practice and they were there. I know I don’t have enough spots to compete tomorrow, and I’ll have to run all new stuff and fish on the fly to have a chance.”
Daily Leaders
- The Berkley Big Bass of the Day was Wheeler’s 5-11 largemouth.
- Lee had the most weight on SCORETRACKER® with 33-2.
- Neal had the most bass over 2 pounds with 12.
What’s Next & How to Watch
The final 10 anglers will fish for tomorrow’s Championship Round. Fishing kicks off at 8 a.m. CST. Live coverage of REDCREST 2022 presented by Costa starts at 7:45 a.m. CST on the MLF NOW! live stream. Watch for free on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, or the MyOutdoorTV app.