LIVE BLOG: Record-Breaking Day on Sturgeon Bay

Justin Lucas has poured it on all day on Day 1 out of Sturgeon Bay. Photo by Garrick Dixon

July 10, 2020 • MLF Field Crew • Bass Pro Tour

STURGEON BAY, Wis. – Day 1 of the Covercraft Stage Five presented by Abu Garcia is well on its way to a spot in the history books of professional bass fishing.

For starters, Berkley pro Justin Lucas has redefined how many pounds of smallmouth it’s possible to put on a scale in a competition day – as of this writing, Lucas is at 138 pounds, 4 ounces, with 10 minutes of competition left (a single-day MLF record).

The day has also been memorable and historic from an operations standpoint as the 40 anglers fishing in Group A have driven to ramps of their choosing throughout the day, instead of making bone-jarring runs across Lake Michigan and Green Bay’s rugged waters.

More coverage to come as the final period winds down in Wisconsin.

Dean Rojas holds up a 4-12 he caught in Period 3.

3:30 p.m. — Justin Lucas has broken the single-day weight record with 48 bass for 135-08.

John Murray reels in a 4-11 during Period 3 on Sturgeon Bay.

3:00 p.m. CT — An hour and a half remains on Sturgeon Bay and it’s almost time to start playing the prediction game. Brandon Coulter is the 20th place angler on SCORETRACKER® with 24 pounds, 5 ounces, making it seem as though if an angler wants to advance to the Knockout Round out of Group A they are going to need more than 50 or 60 pounds to do so. It’s a very attainable feat based on what Justin Lucas, Scott Suggs and Josh Bertrand have shown.

2:26 p.m. CT — Josh Bertrand is close to becoming the third angler above the 100-pound mark on the day. He is sitting in third place with 32 bass for 96-13. Justin Lucas is closing in on another MLF record for most weight caught in a single day. He only needs about 6 more pounds for that record.

1:49 p.m. CT — Period 3 is about to begin and the three pros who are trying to catch Jordan Lee find themselves below the Elimination Line. Fletcher Shryock, Jacob Wheeler and Jeff Sprague all find themselves outside of the Top 20 to start Period 3. Still, they have Period 3 and another full day of fishing ahead of them, so today might just be about staying in the hunt.

Every angler in Group A has a scorable bass on SCORETRACKER. Jason Lambert was the last pro to register a scorable bass today, weighing in a 2-12 towards the end of Period 2.

1:21 p.m. CT — As Period 2 is winding down, Scott Suggs joins Justin Lucas over the. 100-pound mark with 30 bass for 107-8. Suggs also now has the biggest bass of the day at 5-6. The Arkansas pro is 7-13 behind Lucas for the lead.

12:51 p.m. CT — Aaron Martens is back into the Top 10 with a 3-4 smallmouth for his 14th scorable bass of the day. Martens has found the majority of his success with a crankbait while fishing offshore. In his first event back, Martens is proving why he is still one of the best anglers on tour.

11:53 a.m. CT — Scott Suggs has begun to close the gap on leader Justin Lucas. Suggs now has 24 bass for 84-6, just 14-13 behind Lucas for the lead. The Arkansas pro has spent the majority of his day in what looks like a creek protected from the wind and big swells.

11:36 a.m. CT — Fletcher Shryock has now moved right outside the Top 20 after catching his biggest bass of the day. There’s a lot on the line for Shryock as he begins the final event of the year just seven points behind Jordan Lee in the points race. A Points Championship for Shryock would be massive for his career, but he mentioned to Marty Stone that he is trying just focus on one fish at a time instead of looking at the bigger picture.

11:17 a.m. CT — It doesn’t look like Justin Lucas has moved locations but. the swells have calmed down in his area. He has shed his rain gear and is still working his drop-shot with expert precision. He is 27-10 ahead of second-place Scott Suggs.

Takahiro Omori holds up his biggest bass of the day at 4-14.

Brandon Coulter catches a 4-10 smallmouth in Period 2.

10:56 a.m. CT — Now a look at a couple of anglers who are trying to take home a Points Championship. Fletcher Shryock and Jacob Wheeler both started the day behind Jordan Lee for the lead in the race for the Points Championship. However, both of them begin Period 2 outside the Top 20. They will both need to at least make the Knockout Round if they want a chance to earn enough points to catch Lee.

10:13 a.m. CT — Kevin VanDam is taking advantage of the trailering policy that has been put into place. He has taken his Nitro out of the water and is taking his Toyota Tundra to a different area of Sturgeon Bay. He is the first pro that has been on camera taking advantage of this new policy introduced for this event.

10:00 a.m. CT — Well, Justin Lucas has shattered the MLF record for most weight caught in a single period and he’s not done yet. While Lucas continues to crush them, Great Lakes native Kevin VanDam has yet to find them. The Michigan pro is one of nine pros who has yet to catch a scorable bass.

9:45 a.m. CT — Justin Lucas is less than 5 pounds away from breaking the Bass Pro Tour record for most weight caught in a single period. Lucas is trying to break Jacob Wheeler’s record that he set back in. 2019 at Stage Seven on Table Rock Lake. Lucas has 19 bass for 51-1.

Shin Fukae has the biggest bass of the day with a 4-9 smallmouth.

9:15 a.m. CT — The wind is starting to pick up, as are the swells on Sturgeon Bay. Justin Lucas is offshore right now and is beginning to see swells above the 2-foot range. As the wind continues to pick up those swells are only going to get bigger.

Shin Fukae catches a 4-pounder for his biggest bass of the day.

Fred Roumbanis lands a 4-6 smallmouth on Sturgeon Bay.

9:00 a.m. CT — Justin Lucas is out to a commanding lead to start the day. He has 13 bass for 34-14 in just the first hour of fishing. He’s now 18 pounds ahead of second-place Kelly Jordon. Lucas made his first-ever Championship Round during Heavy Hitters, finishing in fourth place. He has described himself as a very streaky angler, and he may have found a hot streak.

8:25 a.m. CT — Aaron Martens is back. He just landed a 3-12 smallmouth for his first scorable bass in nearly five months. Martens missed Heavy Hitters due to his battle with a brain tumor, but he’s back fishing during Stage Five.

8:20 a.m. CT — Justin Lucas just made the comment on the MLF NOW! live stream that he was so glad the weight for a scorable bass was kept at 2 pounds for this event. “We probably could have even made it 3 pounds,” Lucas mentioned.

There’s already been 10 anglers to catch a smallmouth weighing in at over 3 pounds. With only 15 pros on the board just 20 minutes in, they are catching some impressive sizes.

8:16 a.m. CT — Word from MLF officials just came down with information regarding period breaks.

For the sole purposes of safety, the period breaks will be extended by 15 minutes for a total of 30 minute period breaks.

Anglers will be allowed to drive boat/truck during period breaks for relocation purposes. No fishing during period breaks as usual.

8:01 a.m. CT — It’s a rainy day on the western shores of Lake Michigan. Our first camera view of the anglers showed Aaron Martens, Jacob Wheeler, and Kevin VanDam. Wheeler started on a flat and has already decided that it’s time to move. Justin Lucas is the first pro on the board with a 2-14.