LIVE BLOG: Home Stretch of Knockout Round Will Bring More Drama to Chickamauga - Major League Fishing

LIVE BLOG: Home Stretch of Knockout Round Will Bring More Drama to Chickamauga

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Jared Lintner with a 8-10 that had him into the Top 10.
April 13, 2019 • Mason Prince • Bass Pro Tour

DAYTON, Tenn. — We’re inside an hour of competition time in the Knockout Round here on Lake Chickamauga, and as is almost always the case in these single-day competitions for the Top 10, there are interesting things going on up and down the Tennessee River.

3:12 p.m. ET – Only 15 minutes remain in the Knockout Round and there continues to be a log jam near the Elimination Line. Jordan Lee and Jacob Wheeler are tied with a total weight of 45-11, but Lee’s 27 bass to Wheeler’s 25 gives Lee the tiebreaker.

2:39 p.m. ET – Jacob Powroznik continues to put on a fish-catching clinic in his drive to become a back-to-back winner. Powroznik added just over 10 pounds to SCORETRACKER™ in a 30-minute flurry to claim a 4-pound lead over Todd Faircloth.

2:26 p.m. ET – MLF NOW! host Chad McKee just made the observation that the anglers placed from 10th to 17th are quite “bunched up.” Andy Morgan owns the final spot in the Top 10 but Dustin Connell, Jordan Lee and Dave Lefebre are right on his tail. Only one hour remains in the Knockout Round.

1:53 p.m. ET – Jared Lintner just made a statement. The California pro caught, weighed and released an 8-pound, 10-ounce monster that rocketed him up into the Top 10. Lintner now sits in seventh place with only an hour and a half to go in the round.

1:30 p.m. ET – The drama near the Elimination Line is starting to take shape. Dustin Connell owns the final spot in the Top 10 but six anglers are within two pounds of overtaking him.

12:50 p.m. ET – That is the end of Period 2 and only one period remains in the Knockout Round. Here are the Top 10 as we head down the home stretch:

  1. Todd Faircloth 48-09
  2. Brandon Palaniuk 47-05
  3. Jacob Powroznik 47-00
  4. Keith Poche 44-12
  5. Andy Morgan 42-06
  6. Jacob Wheeler 40-09
  7. Dave Lefebre 36-15
  8. Michael Neal 36-15
  9. Luke Clausen 36-12
  10. Aaron Martens 34-03

12:12 p.m. ET – Keith Poche just had a catch you had to see to believe. Poche was back behind some docks looking for a big bite and he found it. A 7-5 ate his bait, but the bite was on the other side of a floating sidewalk. To be able to land the bass, Poche had to leave his boat and jump on to the sidewalk. He was able to get the bass out of the water, but when he tried to return to his boat it had floated a little further than he had left it. He already gained a three-minute penalty for landing his fish out of the boat, but if his MLF Official had to move his boat in any way to assist him, that would be an extra 15-minute penalty. So, Poche did the only thing he could do: he shed his shoes and phone, jumped in the water, and made his way back onto his boat. In the short history of the Bass Pro Tour, it was one of the most unique moments in tour history.

11:55 a.m. ET – When you look at the current Top 10, one person sticks out in particular. Fred Roumbanis has only 10 bass, but he is averaging over 3 pounds per fish.

Mike Iaconelli has had a solid day. This 5-2 has him in 15th place.

11:19 a.m. ET – As I am writing this post I already know that someone has caught a bass and completely changed to look of SCORETRACKER™. However, at this very moment, Zack Birge owns the 10th and final spot in the Top 10. After his record-breaking day on Friday, Birge is now 11 ounces ahead of Andy Morgan 2-8 ahead of Aaron Martens.

Greg Hackney lands a 6-8 that has him in the hunt.

10:45 a.m. ET – We mentioned early in the morning that Brandon Palaniuk was an angler to keep a close eye on. BP just put three fish on SCORETRACKER on three casts for 9 pounds, 6 ounces. Palaniuk is on a hot topwater bite that has propelled him to first place and (currently) an 8-pound cushion over Todd Faircloth.

10:22 a.m. ET – As the second period gets underway, we’ve seen a couple of pros who have caught fish consistently. Leader Todd Faircloth and second-place Brandon Palaniuk both have caught 16 bass which leads the field. While they haven’t had massive bites, consistency seems to be the key this week in Tennessee. There are some giants to be caught, but we have seen the anglers who can make a habit out of landing a lot of fish have a good chance of moving on.

This 5-1 helped Terry Scroggins stay within range of the Elimination Line.

10:05 a.m. ET – After one period in today’s Knockout Round, here are a few things that are shaping up:

  1. Local knowledge is paying off. The current Top 15 includes three anglers who consider Lake Chickamauga their home waters: Jacob Wheeler (in third with 26-11), Michael Neal (fourth with 26-8), and Andy Morgan (11th with 19-15).
  2. There are seemingly unending numbers of bucks up shallow. The current top two anglers – Todd Faircloth and Brandon Palaniuk – have weighed 16 fish apiece, most of them in the 1 1/2- to 2-pound range.

9:33 a.m. ET – One major potential influence today on Lake Chickamauga is the presence of local tournament boats. There are several local competitions running out of Possum Creek, etc. Jared Lintner, Jordan Lee, Terry Scroggins and Fred Roumbanis have been sharing close quarters with local boats in Soddy Creek, and there’s similar traffic in various spots from mid-lake south.

9:29 a.m. ET – Todd Faircloth is piling up the numbers this morning on a jig. The Texas pro had jumped to a 5-pound lead over Brandon Palaniuk thanks to 15 fish in the first two hours.

8:55 a.m. ET – A handful of 5-plus-pounders are making their presence known on SCORETRACKER this morning. As we’ve reported, Mark Rose and Fred Roumbanis have a couple of good ones, but also add James Elam (6-11). Elam is on the right quality of fish: He’s only weighed in four, but his per-fish average is just shy of 3 pounds.

8:40 a.m. ET – Mark Rose just made a big move up SCORETRACKER thanks to a 6-15 largemouth that has him inside the Top 10 and above the Elimination Line. Fred Roumbanis also landed a sizable bass, a 5-7, that jumped him all the way up to third place.

Brandon Palaniuk with one of two 4-pounders he’s landed today.

8:29 a.m. ET – Brandon Palaniuk is on “the juice” this morning. The Idaho pro has put a 4-10 and a 4-13 on SCORETRACKER in the first hour, and already has eight fish for over 18 pounds. Palaniuk has an entire side slough of the Hiwassee River to himself, don’t be surprised is his weight continues to climb.

8:20 a.m. ET – When I spoke with Mark Davis after his impressive Elimination Round on Friday, the Arkansas pro told me that he was confident he knew where he could catch more fish. That seems to be true so far this morning as he is in third place behind Brandon Palaniuk and Jordan Lee. Davis said that while he was catching a large number of small males yesterday, he is confident that the larger females will make their way to where his favorite spot is located.

7:57 a.m. ET – Local pro Michael Neal was nonchalant about the fluctuating water level and clarity of Lake Chickamauga. That’s because Neal has been playing a slightly different game then most of the 40 pros competing today, fishing more “offshore” than on the bank. So far so good for the owner of the Dayton Boat Dock and Grill: Neal has three fish for 9-1 and is jockeying with Jordan Lee and Jacob Powroznik for the lead.

That said, Lee is catching them today: the Alabama pro currently has six fish for 10-9, and leads after the first half hour of competition.

7:39 a.m. ET – The fish are definitely biting this morning like they have been for the first four days of competition. Tommy Biffle is the current leader with three bass for 5 pounds, 8 ounces. Seventeen anglers have put a scorable bass on SCORETRACKER™ after only 10 minutes of fishing in Period 1.