LIVE BLOG: Neal Catches 8-15 Late for Big Bass, Four Battling for Final Two Spots
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Thirty-eight anglers enter but only eight will be moving on to the Championship Round. The pressure is on for the pros as the 19 anglers from Group A join the 19 anglers from Group B for what is sure to be an entertaining day of fishing on the Kissimmee Chain.
Not only are the pros fighting for one of those eight spots, they are also on the hunt for the biggest bass of the day. Whichever angler puts up the largest bass in the Knockout Round will win $50,000, up from the Qualifying Rounds’ $25,000. Mark Rose and Brent Ehrler both took home $25,000 checks for their big bass as they will try to triple their money today.
3:50 p.m. ET — It’s official, we have our Top 8 who will be moving on to the Championship Round to meet Zack Birge and Skeet Reese.
- Mark Rose 52-5
- Dustin Connell 44-12
- Jordan Lee 44-9
- Adrian Avena 43-2
- Justin Lucas 40-3
- Bryan Thrift 37-8
- Jacob Wheeler 36-4
- Gary Klein 36-3
Michael Neal takes home the $50,000 prize for biggest bass of the day with his 8-15, 1 ounce heavier than Jordan Lee’s 8-14. Wesley Strader is the first man out of the Top 8, missing the cut by 1-5.
3:35 p.m. ET — Justin Lucas has now moved into the Top 8, moving Adrian Avena into ninth place and below the Elimination Line. Avena needs 2-2 to move back into the Top 8.
3:30 p.m. ET — Out of nowhere, Michael Neal has just hauled in the biggest bass of the Knockout Round with an 8-15. That bass beats out Jordan Lee’s 8-14 from earlier to give Neal a $50,000 check if it holds.
3:21 p.m. ET — Thirty minutes remain in Period 3 and the drama is once again near the Elimination Line. Bryan Thrift and Adrian Avane hold the final two spots in the Top 8, but Justin Lucas is only 1 ounce outside of the Top 8. One scorable bass for 10th-place Fletcher Shryock would help him move above the Elimination Line as well.
3:17 p.m. ET — Marty Stone just made a good point about the guys fishing current versus the guys fishing offshore grass and brush piles. Mark Rose is a perfect example of that as he pulls out a 7-12 out of an offshore grass patch. As the scorable bass weight moves up to 3 pounds in the Championship Round, the anglers that seem to be fishing current aren’t catching the quality that the anglers are finding offshore. It will be interesting to see if strategies change come tomorrow morning.
2:57 p.m. ET — Mark Rose is the new leader on top of SCORETRACKER®. He just caught a 2-pounder that pushes him 14 ounces above Connell. Seventh-place Bryan Thrift has 31-11, only 2-7 ahead of 10th-place Fletcher Shryock. As time winds down, it looks like it’s going to be between Thrift, Avena, Lucas, and Shryock for the last two spots in the Top 8.
2:20 p.m. ET — Justin Lucas is the last man in the Top 8 with 29-3. He leads Bryan Thrift for the final spot by only 1 pound. David Walker, Mark Davis and Gary Klein are also in the hunt for eighth place, all within 9 pounds of Lucas.
2:07 p.m. ET — Jordan Lee just caught a 3-pounder and told his MLF Official it’s time to leave his special spot. Lee said it’s an isolated brush pile with a lot fo big fish swimming around it. He’s going to save this spot and start to turn to “practice mode”. That’s bad news for the rest of the competition.
1:45 p.m. ET — After a little less than an hour, we are back to action on the Kissimmee Chain. The anglers will stop fishing at 3:50 p.m. ET for the end of Period 3.
This is the time of the day that has been the most productive all week. Now is the time for the pros that need to make moves towards the Top 8 to make them.
1:33 p.m. ET — The lightning delay rolls on as the thunderstorm of Lake Kissimmee continues to move slowly across the area. The competitors can’t get started until MLF officials rule that it is safe enough for every angler scattered throughout the chain of lake to return to fishing.
12:52 p.m. ET — “That’s why you flip grass mats,” Fletcher Shryock said simply. Shryock just brought in an 8-6, just 8 ounces shy of Jordan Lee’s 8-14. Shryock used that 8-pounder to move himself into the Top 8 at the beginning of Period 3.
We have a weather delay coming up due to lightning in the area. No word on how long the delay will be.
12:16 p.m. ET — Here’s where we stand in the Top 8 after two periods:
- Jordan Lee 36-5
- Mark Rose 35-6
- Dustin Connell 34-8
- Jacob Wheeler 31-1
- Justin Lucas 27-2
- Bryan Thrift 26-2
- Mark Davis 23-15
- David Walker 21-12
Jordan Lee owns the biggest bass with his 8-14 from Period 2. If that holds true, he will be $50,000 richer.
11:45 a.m. ET — It’s far from over and it’s entertaining near the top of SCORETRACKER®. Jordan Lee leads with Dustin Connell and Jacob Wheeler close behind. Bryan Thrift has found his was into the Top 8 for the first time today.
11:22 a.m. ET — Jeff Kriet has been overtaken for the biggest bass of the day by Jordan Lee. The Alabama pro just landed an 8-14 to not only give him the lead on SCORETRACKER®, but the lead for $50,000. This kid is good.
11:06 a.m. ET — Jordan Lee is back into the Top 8 after catching four scorable bass in the last 30 minutes. Lee rattled off a 2-6, 2-5, 4-6 and 2-7 from an offshore grass patch. Might it be a return to “Thump City”?
10:39 a.m. ET — Dustin Connell has gained a little separation from his buddy Jacob Wheeler for the lead. Connell has nine bass for 27 pounds while Wheeler has six bass for 22-1. Both anglers are trying to secure another Championship Round berth. Wheeler looking for his third while Connell is trying to get his second.
10:25 a.m. ET — It’s anyone’s ballgame right now. Fourth-place David Walker and 17th-place Fletcher Shryock are separated by just 5 pounds. One fish is going to be the difference today and we might see this battle for the Top 8 go down to the wire once again.
10:11 a.m. ET — Jordan Lee is back into the Top 8 with 11 pounds. Keep an eye on the 2019 Stage One Champion, he continues to stay consistent on the Kissimmee Chain.
9:32 a.m. ET — After one period, here’s where we stand with the Top 8 on the Kissimmee Chain:
- Jacob Wheeler 18-9
- Dustin Connell 17-11
- Adrian Avena 15-1
- Mark Davis 13-5
- Mark Rose 11-7
- Takahiro Omori 10-15
- Kevin VanDam 10-13
- Fletcher Shryock 10-6
Jeff Kriet still owns the biggest bass of the day at 8 pounds, 2 ounces.
9:23 a.m. ET — As time winds down in Period 1, Jacob Wheeler has edged out his buddy Dustin Connell for the lead. Wheeler has five bass for 18-9 while Connell is steady at 17-11.
8:54 a.m. ET — Jacob Wheeler is into the Top 8 after catching a 5-0. He has two bass for 9-5 and sits in fifth place. It’s a jumbled mess on SCORETRACKER® currently. Second place Takahiro Omori is only 5 pounds ahead of 19th-place Jordan Lee. It’s only the start of a long day.
8:35 a.m. ET — Adrian Avena is your new leader with five bass for 15-1 in Period 1. Avena boated four of those fish in the span of 30 minutes, the biggest a 4-2. The New Jersey pro is fishing in Shingle Creek, the same area where Group B winner Skeet Reese spent the majority of his time. Today, Avena seems to have that area all to himself which could pay off in a big way.
8:20 a.m. ET — Rob Newell settled the debate on whether or not the water has risen or fallen on Lake Toho overnight. Morgan says it looks like the water has gone up but Jeff Sprague thinks it has gone down. If it has fluctuated at all, it’s been about 5 or 6 inches, which is a lot considering the shallow Florida waters.
7:54 a.m. ET — Right before Kriet brought in his 8-2, Fred Roumbanis briefly held the lead for the big bass with a 6-9. Roumbanis is in the Top 8 in fifth place.
7:38 a.m. ET — There’s a new leader in the hunt for the biggest bass of the day and it is Jeff Kriet. The Oklahoma angler just brought in an 8-2, knocking off Shryock’s 5-12 from the top spot. We’ll see how long Kriet can hold on to that $50,000 check.
7:25 a.m. ET — Shryock just took back the lead on top of SCORETRACKER® and the race for the big bass of the day. The Ohio native just swung in a 5-12 for his second scorable bass of the period. He has 8-6, 15 ounces more than second-place Omori.
7:13 a.m. ET — Takahiro Omori leads early on this morning after landing a 3-12 for his first bass of the day. Omori also owns the top spot for the biggest bass of the day, but that is most definitely going to change as the day progesses.
7:05 a.m. ET — Fletcher Shryock is the first angler on the board this morning with a 2-10. Today is an important Knockout Round for Shryock. Not only is it his fourth straight Knockout Round he is competing in, but he also has an opportunity to take control of the Race for the Points Championship. He enters today’s round 27 points behind Ott DeFoe.