LIVE BLOG: K.J. is Putting On A Clinic, Vinson Racking up an Impressive Average

Todd Faircloth with a 9-4, the biggest bass of Shotgun Round 1 after Period 2.

March 26, 2019 • Mason Prince • Bass Pro Tour

RALEIGH, N.C. — Everyone watching the MLF NOW! live stream this past hour has had an eagle-eye (or drone) view of the area on Jordan Lake where Kelly Jordon has stacked up 54 pounds, 7 ounces on the day.

It’s a drone shot because it’s been virtually impossible to get a camera boat up into the shallow timber where Jordon is fishing. More info as we continue to work our way to K.J.

Mark Daniels, Jr. shows off his 8-6 bass as he has moved into fourth place in Group A.

3:12 p.m. ET – The big fish just continue to bite on Jordan Lake. Mark Daniels, Jr. reeled in a 8-6 and Wesley Strader added a 7-2 to his total. We did some calculating, and the top five fish for Mark Daniels, Jr. added up to 30 pounds, 1 ounce. Todd Faircloth’s top five amounted to 28-15, Greg Vinson to 28-8, and Kelly Jordon to 28-4. Fifteen minutes remain in the Shotgun Round so we will see who can make one final push to position themselves above the Elimination Line heading into Thursday’s Elimination Round.

1:52 p.m. ET – The sun is starting to peek through the clouds and the weather has started to warm leading the way for some quality bites. No bites have been better than Todd Faircloth’s 9-4. His run of five big bass started with a 5-pounder followed by a 4-5, 4-2, 4-14 and then his monster 9-4. That has pushed him into second place but still 27-11 behind leader Kelly Jordon.

12:35 p.m. ET – In the short history of the Bass Pro Tour, no one has had a better day than Kelly Jordon. The Texas native now has 63-5 on the day, breaking Marty Robinson’s single-day record of 56 pounds that he set back in Kissimmee, Florida. Jordon broke the record with a 6-2 largemouth with a swimbait.

His lead is now 26-12 over Greg Vinson and there is still one more period to go on a day that, I’m sure, K.J. doesn’t want to end.

12:15 p.m. ET – Jordon may be the angler to catch this afternoon, but Greg Vinson looks like he’s up to the task. Vinson just added his eighth fish to SCORETRACKER to jump to 36-9. Vinson’s last fish was a 6-15, giving him a lineup of 5-10, 4-1, 2-7, 7-1, 1-9, 4-10, 4-4 and 6-15.

Some quick math tells us that Vinson is averaging 4-9 per scorable largemouth.

11:08 a.m. ET – Wesley Strader has made a move up the SCORETRACKER thank to an 8-pounder, the biggest bass of the day so far. Strader used a jig to get his bite, a bait Marty Stone predicted would be big.

Kelly Jordon, the current leader, has used a variety of baits to push his lead to 12-13. A swimbait, jig and a finesse worm have all been the winning formula for the Texan.

Fred Roumbanis gave us an update on the water temperature where he was fishing, hovering around 54 and 55 degrees. He is currently in 13th place with five bass for 12 pounds.

10:55 a.m. ET – What are they catching them on so far on Jordan Lake? A healthy mix: crankbaits, jigs and spinnerbaits have accounted for the biggest percentage of fish on SCORETRACKER. Wesley Strader put an 8-0 on the board with a jig, adding to his two previous fish (caught on a crankbait).

And as MLF NOW! analyst Marty Stone pointed out as he watched Justin Atkins chunk and wind a spinnerbait: “If this tour has done nothing, it’s brought spinnerbait fishing back to life.”

Atkins explained why: ” You can cover a lot of water with a spinnerbait. You get around (a fish), he’s not shy about biting, he’ll get on it immediately. You know you’re throwing the right thing and you can cover water with (it).”

All of Atkins’ 20-10 has been caught on a spinnerbait, including a 7-13 and a 6-5.

10:21 a.m. – Period 2 is underway and we just checked in with Jacob Wheeler who currently sits in sixth place. Wheeler said the water temperature ranges from 54 to 59 degrees on Jordan Lake and he believes that since the water level was so high about a month ago, he is going to attack the flooded vegetation. Cloud cover remains a constant and the air temperature is barely touching 50 degrees.

10:03 a.m. – That’s the end of Period 1 and the 40 anglers in Group A came to play today. Kelly Jordon is the current leader with nine bass for 24 pounds, 2 ounces. The colder air temperatures have not affected the big bite for these anglers. The majority of the 80-angler field have not fished Jordan or Falls lake before, but they do not seem to be having trouble catching four bass over 7 pounds and plenty more over 5 pounds.

9:30 a.m. – Two hours into Period 1 on the Shotgun Round for Group A and there have been a good number of impressive fish on the SCORETRACKER. Justin Atkins still owns the big bass of the day at 7-13 but Jason Christie is not far behind with a 7-12 of his own. Greg Vinson is the current leader with Kelly Jordon and Randall Tharp close behind. Stage Two winner Edwin Evers and 2019 Summit Cup champion Mike Iaconelli have come on strong in the past hour, jumping into the Top 10.

Greg Vinson with his 7-1 that gave him the lead during Period 1

9:22 a.m. ET – There have been a few references about the conditions the pros are dealing with this week in the lakes around Raleigh, but here’s a little more detail.

First, as Gerald Swindle mentioned on Facebook live this morning, the water levels on Jordan Lake have been plummeting over the past several days: from a high of 230.88 feet on March 6 (near flood pool) to 219.1 this morning. The US Army Corps of Engineers will continue to run water out of B. Everett Jordan Dam throughout the course of the day, but a minimal amount.

So even though the water level is stabilizing, Jordan’s fish are still adjusting to a dramatic change in the location of their cover.

Water temperature at takeoff was 59 degrees, and the water is stained.

8:52 a.m. ET – We have a new leader on top of the SCORETRACKER: Greg Vinson. The Alabama pro reeled in a 7-1 to overtake Randall Tharp for the top spot. Vinson now has four bass for 19-3 and has made his presence known early here in Raleigh.

8:40 a.m. ET – While the temperatures remain chilly for the anglers (currently in the mid to high-40s), the bite is red hot. Plenty of sizable bass have been caught by the pros with Randall Tharp still on top of the SCORETRACKER. The skies are cloudy and there is a 10 MPH wind blowing from the northeast, but that hasn’t slowed Tharp or the rest of the field down. Just over an hour into Period 1 and there are 23 anglers with bass on the board.

MLF pro Justin Atkins with his 7-13, the biggest bass of the day so far.

8:10 a.m. ET – Justin Atkins makes his first bass of the day count in a big way. A 7-13 jumps him all the way up to fourth place. Atkins used a spinnerbait to make his move, taking a page out of Randall Tharp’s playbook. We are still in the early stages of this Shotgun Round and we have already seen three 7-pounders and two 5-pounders on the SCORETRACKER.

7:57 a.m. ET – Did I mention Randall Tharp likes to catch big bass? He’s just reeled in another. This time a 5-2 that has him out in front of Andy Morgan by 4-2. Tharp has only caught two bass so far, but their average weight is over 6 pounds. The spinnerbait seems to be working for Florida native.

7:49 a.m. ET – Andy Morgan and Cody Meyer are now on the SCORETRACKER. Morgan with a 4-10 and Meyer with a 5-pounder put them both in great position early in the day. So far, we have seen that the big fish are willing to bite.

7:43 a.m. ET – Randall Tharp’s strategy is to go for big fish, and big fish exclusively. It’s paid off early for him. Tharp just reeled in a 7-7 for his first bass of the day, pushing him into second place and just 5 ounces behind Jason Christie.

7:37 a.m. ET – Jason Christie wasted no time getting off to a great start on Jordan Lake. The Oklahoman landed a 7 pound, 12 ounce bass and is sitting at the top of the SCORETRACKER. MLF NOW! analyst Marty Stone said Jason Christie would be an angler to watch in this group and he was proven correct.