EUFAULA, Ala. – The numbers are a little bit different this morning as lines go in on the Knockout Round of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole: Instead of 10 spots up for grabs in tomorrow’s Championship Round, it’s eight. And instead of 40 anglers on the water today, it’s 38.
That’s because two anglers – Bryan Thrift and Jacob Wheeler – have already qualified into tomorrow’s finals, courtesy of their performance in their respective Group A and Group B Qualifying Rounds.
4:00 p.m. CST — That’s it, we have our eight pros that will be moving on to the Championship Round to meet Jacob Wheeler and Bryan Thrift.
- Dustin Connell 40-06
- Jordan Lee 36-00
- Ott DeFoe 35-13
- Takahiro Omori 32-04
- Brent Chapman 29-01
- Adrian Avena 28-07
- Alton Jones, Jr. 25-02
- Brett Hite 23-07
3:15 p.m. CST — Andy Montgomery has started to make a move towards the Top Eight. Montgomery caught a 5-7 that he quickly followed up with a 3-0 and is now just 1 ounces behind Britt Myers for the final spot. Keep an eye on Edwin Evers as well. Evers snuck into the Knockout Round thanks to a 6-pounder he caught with just 15 minutes to go on Qualifying Day 4.
2:31 p.m. CST — With an hour-and-a-half to go in the Knockout Round we have a new leader for the first time today. Jordan Lee just caught a 3-1 largemouth to move into first place ahead of Ott DeFoe. Seventh place to 12th place are only separated by 4 pounds as the clock winds down.
2:00 p.m. CST — We just witnessed one of the coolest moments in Major League Fishing’s history. Adrian Avena just hooked a 4-pounder that got hung up in some underwater vegetation. Instead of giving up on the fish, Avena shedded his jersey and hat, jumped into the 55-degree water, and pulled out the still-hooked bass with his own two hands. It’s a video you’ll have to see to believe so be on the lookout on all MLF social media channels.
1:21 p.m. CST — That’s the end of Period 2 and here’s where we stand in the Top Eight:
- Ott DeFoe 35-13
- Jordan Lee 26-11
- Dustin Connell 24-13
- Brent Chapman 22-09
- Adrian Avena 20-09
- Brett Hite 18-15
- Britt Myers 18-10
- Edwin Evers 17-06
Jordan Lee has 26-11 with only four total fish. He is getting big bites and having no problem doing so. Edwin Evers caught zero fish in Period 1 but brought in 17-06 in Period 2 to rocket up SCORETRACKER®.
12:21 p.m. CST — It’s looking as though the only angler that is completely safe is Ott DeFoe. He is more than 13 pounds ahead of second-place Brent Chapman and 20 pounds above the Elimination Line. Third place to 14th place are only separated by 8 pounds so there are plenty of anglers still alive with a shot at cracking into the Top Eight.
11:45 a.m. CST — Jordan Lee must really like Stage One’s of the Bass Pro Tour. The 2019 Stage One Champion now has three bass for 18-13 after catching an 8-pounder. Lee is in second place behind Ott DeFoe and 3 pounds above the Elimination Line.
10:56 a.m. CST — Mike McClelland has just made his way inside the Top Eight with another 2-pound spotted bass. McClelland has four bass for 10-6.
10:38 a.m. CST — We’re through one period and here’s where we sit with the Top Eight:
- Ott DeFoe 29-00
- Alton Jones, Jr. 17-05
- Brent Chapman 15-13
- Randall Tharp 13-06
- Chris Lane 13-04
- Britt Myers 12-12
- Dustin Connell 9-05
- Bobby Lane 8-00
10:15 a.m. CST — We have a new Berkley Big Bass of the event and that comes from Brent Chapman who just put an 8-15 on SCORETRACKER®. Chapman has caught two bass for 13-7 and is in third place.
9:54 a.m. CST — Justin Atkins holds the final spot in the Top Eight after catching a 5-pounder. There are 10 anglers right behind him that are within a scorable bass of jumping him for that final spot. It’s shaping up to be a fun, yet rainy, day on Lake Eufaula.
9:22 a.m. CST — A shad-colored crankbait continues to be the winning bait for Ott DeFoe. He has retaken the lead from Alton Jones, Jr. thanks to seven bass for 22-3. DeFoe is working around a point with his crankbait, the same strategy and spot he fished yesterday to make it into this Knockout Round. DeFoe predicted he would need around 24 pounds to feel safe and make it to the Championship Round. He’s getting very close to his hypothesis.
8:47 a.m. CST — We have a new leader and it is Alton Jones, Jr. The MLF NOW! crew just said that they expect Jones is working with a jerkbait to catch his fish this morning. We’ve seen the Texas pro add three 3-pounders and a 4-pounder to SCORETRACKER® in less than an hour of competition.
8:33 a.m. CST — Ott DeFoe currently leads the field with 13 pounds, 7 ounces. DeFoe is more than 5 pounds ahead of Randall Tharp and Alton Jones, Jr.
8:14 a.m. CST – As Ott DeFoe jumps to a quick lead, Bobby Lane with a great explanation of what/how he’s fishing this morning.
“I’m yo-yoing a vibrating jig, I think these fish are suspended here,” Land said. “They want it on the hop for some reason. (A 2-13) is a good start for me, for sure, but I’m hoping as I slip (through this creek) that it goes as planned as yesterday. I think what happened is the water got way, way up. They’re not on the edges of anything. It pushed these fish back in these creeks, and then the water got sucked out of there. It’s like it pulled the fish down to the middle of these drains.”