LIVE BLOG: Anglers Hope Not to be KO’d in Knockout Round
NEENAH, Wis. — We have our Top 40. The Top 20 pros from Group A and from Group B converged on Lake Butte des Morts this morning for the Knockout Round. Ten pros will move on to the Championship Round on Sunday while 30 others will miss out on the fun. Weights are reset back to zero so it is anyone’s game.
3:00 p.m. CT – We now have our Top 10 that will compete in the Championship Round on Sunday:
- Brent Ehrler 56-07
- Bobby Lane 42-10
- Andy Morgan 41-13
- Casey Ashley 39-12
- Brandon Coulter 36-09
- Gerald Spohrer 33-09
- James Elam 32-15
- Gary Klein 30-05
- Jacob Wheeler 28-03
- Cliff Pace 25-15
2:30 p.m. CT – Cliff Pace owns the final spot in the Top 10 at 25 pounds, 15 ounces, but Fred Roumbanis and Mark Daniels, Jr. are both right on his tail. Roumbanis trails by only 10 ounces while Daniels needs 1-14. With only 30 minutes left, anything can happen.
12:42 p.m. CT – Fred Roumbanis is hoping to have more success in Period 3 than he did in Period 2. After leading Period 1, Boom Boom only caught two fish for 2-5 in Period 2 as he fell back to sixth place. The Arkansas pro worked the same area that he did in Period 1, but it seems as though his honey hole had dried up. We will see if he decides to go searching for a new spot or banks on his afternoon bite to pick up the slack.
12:33 p.m. CT – Andy Morgan is working underneath a bridge to start the third period, something that worked very well for him at the end of the second period. Morgan was working a jig under a shaded bridge that his tall frame could barely fit underneath. He is positioning his head between low-hanging points on the bridge so he can fit underneath. Quite the sight to see from the Stage Four champion.
12:17 p.m. CT – Here is the Top 10 after two periods of fishing:
- Brent Ehrler 43-00
- Andy Morgan 37-03
- Gerald Spohrer 31-05
- Brandon Coulter 31-01
- James Elam 25-03
- Fred Roumbanis 23-10
- Casey Ashley 22-01
- Bobby Lane 20-12
- Todd Faircloth 20-03
- Wesley Strader 19-07
12:10 p.m. CT – Wesley Strader owns the final spot in the Top 10 with 19 pounds, 7 ounces. However, there are three anglers that are within 2 pounds of catching Strader and pushing him below the Elimination Line. Cliff Pace, Mike Iaconelli and Jacob Wheeler are well-within striking distance of Strader with one more period to go. It’s looking like another Knockout Round that could come down to the wire.
11:55 a.m. CT – New leader Brent Ehrler is posted up in a large backwater section of Butte des Morts, fishing on the inside edge of a field of grass and reeds. Ehrler is currently focused on a rocky stretch of bank, and it appears he’s located a bedding fish next to a submerged tree. We’ll hang with him awhile and see if he can get that fish to cooperate. Ehrler’s pattern has proven to be a bigger-fish option than most of the field: six of his last seven fish are 2 pounds or better, including a pair of 3-pounders.
10:51 a.m. CT – Back and forth we go: Spohrer just took the lead with three fish in a 20-minute span. Coulter is currently targeting bedding fish along a rocky bank. He’s currently working one as we get “enter” on this post.
10:37 a.m. CT – Ashley has done a total 180 from how he fished all morning. The South Carolina pro has now moved off the bank and is throwing a drop-shot. He immediately hooked a walleye on his first cast and a non-scorable smallmouth on his next cast. His next cast, he missed a fish. Ashley is around feeding fish, but has nothing to show for it from this spot yet.
10:30 a.m. CT – There is a new leader in the Knockout Round: Tennessee pro Brandon Coulter. Coulter only caught two fish in the first period but he has figured it out in the second. Coulter has reeled in 11 fish in less than an hour to take the lead.
10:13 a.m. CT – Ashley is currently fishing down a long stretch of riprap. On the opposite end of this meandering trail of riprap are Iaconelli and Lucas. Ashley is hustling right along with his trolling motor on high, throwing a vibrating jig right to the bank as he parallels it.
10:00 a.m. CT – There are now five anglers with double-digit bass caught: Fred Roumbanis, Wesley Strader, Gerald Spohrer, Casey Ashley, and Bobby Lane.
9:45 a.m. CT – At first look, it seems that Butte des Morts has higher quality fish on average over Lake Winnebago: seven anglers have put a 3-plus-pounder on the scale through the first period.
9:30 a.m. CT – After one period in the Knockout Round, here is where the Top 10 stand:
- Fred Roumbanis 21-05
- Gerald Spohrer 17-08
- Wesley Strader 17-02
- Casey Ashley 17-01
- Bobby Lane 16-11
- Cliff Pace 13-04
- Alton Jones, Jr. 13-01
- Brent Ehrler 13-01
- James Elam 12-02
- Anthony Gagliardi 10-13
9:00 a.m. CT – Thirty minutes are left in Period 1 and although these pros are on a much smaller lake than what they have seen this stage, they are proving why they do this for a living. Multiple anglers are on pace to break the 50-pound mark and we might even see a couple hit 60 pounds. Fred Roumbanis (10) and Gerald Spohrer (11) are the only anglers who have caught double-digit bass this morning.
8:44 a.m. CT – Gerald Spohrer is Power-Poled down and fishing a frog to matted grass and lily pads. We’ve seen him catch two and miss two: so 50/50, which is about par for the course when throwing a frog.
8:43 a.m. CT – Kevin VanDam is still in search mode. No surprise, VanDam is fishing extremely fast, paralleling the bank of one of the rivers that flows into Butte Des Morts.
8:25 a.m. CT – Fred Roumbanis has made his living this morning catching smallmouth. The Lake Butte des Morts smallies seem to love the chatterbait Roumbanis is throwing: “Boom Boom” is out to a fast start with 10 fish and 17-15 in the first 90 minutes of action.
8:00 a.m. CT – Justin Lucas is running and gunning this morning on Butte des Morts. He’s fishing a spot quickly, and then picking up and running to the next spot after a handful of casts. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Lucas is one of the handful of anglers who spent a full practice day on this lake, and it seems clear that he has a plan for how he’ll attack it today.
7:04 a.m. CT – Mike Iaconelli is looking to continue the blistering pace he exhibited during his Elimination Round. Ike caught a 3-pound, 2-ounce bass for his first fish of the day and he now leads the field. Many anglers did not know what to expect from this lake, but it appears Ike may already have an idea.