LIVE BLOG: The Final Push in Period 3

CONROE, Tex. – We have a north/northwest wind rolling 15 miles per hour across Lake Conroe this morning for the MLF Bass Pro Tour Huk Stage Two presented by Favorite Fishing. If you’re watching the MLF NOW! live stream, you’ll notice two things: the water is extremely stained, and there’s an abundance of shallow cover for the 40 anglers to fish.

3:02 p.m. CST – We are down to the final 30 minutes of Group A’s Shotgun Round. Wesley Strader is the current leader with 18 fish for 33 pounds. The drama will be near the Elimination Line as the attention shifts to Thursday’s Elimination Round. Eight anglers are within 4 pounds of of the Elimination Line and almost all of the 20 anglers below the line have a shot of making a run on Thursday.

2:16 p.m. CST – Gerald Swindle is beginning his push towards the top of SCORETRACKER. Swindle landed a 6-8 largemouth that moved him into seventh place. He now has seven bass for 21-3. Alton Jones’ 7-6 remains the biggest fish caught on the day.

1:30 p.m. CST – There is a new leader on top of Group A. Wesley Strader landed a 2-2 to take the lead from Brent Ehrler. Strader has gone on a little run, reeling in three fish in six minutes. Strader is now 15 ounces ahead of Ehrler.

1:00 p.m. CST – As period three gets underway there will be opportunities for the anglers to make moves to get above the Elimination Line. Boyd Duckett leads the field with 13 total bass but currently sits in second place in total weight (20-15). The MLF NOW! crew just spoke about how there are fish to be caught now that the sun is starting to come out. We’ll see if it holds true in period three.

12:16 p.m. CST – The temperatures are starting to heat up and so are a couple of anglers, led by Bobby Lane. Lane caught three fish in 32 minutes for a total of 7-4 to move him into fourth place. Lane now has 15-2 and is 10-11 behind Brent Ehrler. Alton Jones now has the biggest fish on the day with a 7-7 to move him above the Elimination Line.

11:08 a.m. CST: Ehrler, Roy and Strader are fishing the same creek. According to MLF NOW! analyst Marty Stone, this creek was loaded with bait when he rode around Conroe in pre-event scouting.

10:57 a.m. CST – Brent Ehrler maintains his comfortable lead of 7-9 over Adrian Avena. The sun is shining on Lake Conroe but the wind continues to blow and the temperatures have not yet hit 60 degrees. There are seven anglers without a fish on the board: Aaron Martens, Brandon Palaniuk, Jesse Wiggins, John Murray, Marty Robinson, Paul Elias and Scott Suggs.

10:18 a.m. CST – Lines are back in as Period 2 starts, and leader Brent Ehrler is stuck tight to docks and walls on the lower end. Ehrler is alternating between flipping the docks and cranking the walls, and so far so good: his eight fish are just a shade below a 3-pound average.

9:34 a.m. CST – Two hours into Group A’s Shotgun Round and Brent Ehrler is still holding on to the top spot on SCORETRACKER. Dustin Connell is currently in 20th place and above the Elimination Line. Jeff Sprague, Anthony Gagliardi, Boyd Duckett and Cliff Pace are all within 1 pound of Connell and are in a good position to make a move above the Elimination Line.

9:00 a.m. CST – We have a new leader in the Group A Shotgun Round. Brent Ehrler has caught a 4-12, 2-15, and a 2-9 in 27 minutes to take the lead over from Adrian Avena. Oddly enough, Ehrler and Avena have both caught a 4-12 on the day, the biggest in the round so far.

8:30 a.m. CST – Adrian Avena remains at the top of SCORETRACKER with 10-3. Greg Hackney is in second place with 7-6 with Jason Christie and Brent Ehrler close behind. Ehrler used a 4-12 to shoot his way up the SCORETRACKER.

8:00 a.m. CST – Adrien Avena and Kevin VanDam were both at the top of the SCORETRACKER just 15 minutes into Period 1. Avena reeled in a 4 pound, 12 ounce bass while VanDam was able to land a 4-2. Greg Hackney, Dean Rojas, Josh Bertrand, and Jason Christie all have 3-pounders on the board as well.