LIVE BLOG: Reese Leads, Rose Makes Big Move with 9-2

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Today, 39 new anglers set out on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to take their best swings at the bigs that patrol the waters of central Florida for Toyota Heavy Hitters Presented by Venmo.

Yesterday, we saw Brent Ehrler’s 8-pound, 6-ounce toad take the top spot for the Berkley Big Bass in Group A. Our MLF NOW! analysts JT Kenney and Marty Stone expect more of the same today, both predicting an 8- or 9-pounder to be the $25,000 fish in Group B.

Will the strategy be to swing for the fences or get multiple bites and play the law of averages? We’re about to find out.

3:34 p.m. ET — Fishing will resume at 3:40 p.m. ET and Period 3 will end at 4 p.m. ET. The final 20 minutes of competition can be seen on the MLF NOW! live stream.

2:53 p.m. ET — We are currently in a weather delay. The anglers were told to stop fishing around 2:40 p.m. ET but we have not yet heard when or if competition will resume today. We will keep you updated through MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MLF social media channels with updates.

2:33 p.m. ET — Mark Rose just sent shockwaves through the Kissimmee Chain. The 2020 Patriot Cup Champion just landed the biggest bass of the week so far: a 9-2 Florida giant. Rose found it fishing some offshore grass patches on a small plastic worm. Rose is now in the lead for the Berkley Big Bass of the Day.

1:37 p.m. ET — Mark Rose continues to make his run at the top spot on SCORETRACKER®. His biggest fish of the day is only a 4-5, but he has been able to catch eight bass for 23-1. Rose continues to work offshore patches of grass with soft plastic baits.

12:42 p.m. ET — We have our second 7-pounder of the day, courtesy of Andy Morgan. The Tennessee pro now moves into the Top 20 with 9-5. He is still 10 ounces short of the biggest bass of the day, that belongs to Mark Daniels Jr. at 7-15.

12:25 p.m. ET — As Period 3 is set to begin, there are still five anglers who have yet to catch a scorable bass. Ott DeFoe, Randall Tharp, Cody Meyer, Shin Fukae and Terry Scroggins have all been unable to get bit. Tharp and Scroggins might be the most surprising anglers held scoreless, seeing as how they call Florida home. On the bright side, they are all only 5 pounds away from the Elimination Line.

12:02 p.m. ET — David Walker is about as upset as you will ever see him on the water. He just lost what he called a “full-grown” fish. If it was as big as he thought, it could have pushed him past leader Skeet Reese who is only 5-9 ahead of him. Walker has caught more fish than anyone in Group B so far–he has nine bass on the day for 24-15.

11:30 a.m. ET — Skeet Reese continues to lead with 30-8, 5-9 ahead of second-place David Walker. A camera just got to Skeet’s boat where he explained why he is fishing where he is. Reese likes the current in a creek he found. That current is running thanks to the recent rains in the area. However, with the sun starting to peek through the clouds and Tropical Depression Cristobal shifting it’s course, that current could be at risk of drying up.

10:41 a.m. ET — A couple of heavy 4-pounders with some 2-pounders sprinkled in-between has put Skeet Reese on top of SCORETRACKER® for the first time this season. Reese has struggled through three events in 2020, but Heavy Hitters could be a fresh start.

Mark Daniels Jr. owns the biggest bass of the day with a 7-15. He overtook James Elam’s 6-11 for the day’s biggest.

10:12 a.m. ET — Nine anglers are still scoreless, but on the bright side, it should only take on average fish to move into the Top 20. The Elimination Line is only at 3-10, that No. 20 spot held by Greg Hackney. Still no fish for the overall points leader Ott DeFoe or third-place point-earner Andy Montgomery.

10:00 a.m. ET — Chris Lane just caught a 3-10 on a jig, a technique Lane says he has greatly missed using in Florida. He is fishing near some Kissimmee grass and just horsed that 3-10 out of there.

9:47 a.m. ET — Jeff Kriet is the new leader as we begin Period 2 with four bass for 11-7. He added a 3-9 right before the end of Period 1 to jump ahead of Takahiro Omori. A camera has just arrived in Omori’s boat, so we will get a look at him for much of the second period.

9:25 a.m. ET — Time is winding down in Period 1 and we have 25 anglers who have registered a scorable bass this morning. Ott DeFoe, Jeff Sprague, Bobby Lane and Andy Morgan are just some of the names that have been held scoreless through one period in Florida.

9:01 a.m. ET — Takahiro Omori has just jumped in front of James Elam for the overall lead. Omori has three bass for 11 pounds on the day, all of which he has caught on a vibrating jig. He doesn’t have a camera on his boat yet, but that should change rather quickly.

8:30 a.m. ET — There are now 13 anglers on SCORETRACKER® and hour and a half into the morning. We’ve seen three 4-pounders, two 5-pounders and two 6-pounders so far today. The sunshine is finally peeking through the clouds, maybe that will start to pick up the bite.

8:15 a.m. ET — James Elam and Stephen Browning are the only two anglers who have registered more than one scorable bass on SCORETRACKER® this morning. Elam is your leader at 8-12, 2-12 ahead of second-place Adrian Avena. A camera just arrived on Elam’s boat, so we will be able to hear how he found that 6-11 earlier.

7:54 a.m. ET — We have a new leader for the Berkley Big Bass–James Elam and his 6-11. Looks like Elam got the big one to bite on a topwater lure. No word on what exactly that lure was just yet.

7:46 a.m. ET — It’s a pretty slow start to the morning. Only eight anglers on are SCORETRACKER® nearly an hour into the day. Ott DeFoe just mentioned on camera how surprised he was about the slow start. “I figured I would have caught one by now,” DeFoe said.

7:09 a.m. ET — A good start for Adrian Avena. His first bass of the day is a 6-pounder and good enough for the Berkley Big Bass lead. Avena sits in 20th place in total points this season, trying to qualify for his first REDCREST with two strong finishes to the season. He’s off to a good start.