LIVE BLOG: Windy & Rainy Start on Lake Okeechobee

Cody Meyer with the 6 pound, 3 ounce bass that put him into first place during Period 3.

February 21, 2020 • MLF Field Crew • Bass Pro Tour

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — With two gorgeous days of practice under their belt, the first 40 pros competing in Qualifying Day 1 of the Favorite Fishing Stage Two Presented by Bass Cat were less fortunate with the weather today.

The wind is expected to gust upwards of 30 mph throughout much of the day. Sprinkle in some light rain and it has all of the makings for a rough day on the water. MLF officials allowed anglers to trailer to ramps of their own choosing to alleviate safety concerns of anglers having to make long runs over dangerous waters to get to their fishing spots.

3:38 p.m. EST — The wind continues to howl on the Big O. We’ve heard multiple anglers asking for “one more bite.” A lot of the pros believe that since this day has been so tough, one bite could be the difference. It’s all about positioning at this point with everyone fighting to be in a good spot come Sunday’s Qualifying Day 3.

James Watson has a big smile because of this 5-10.

Justin Lucas found this 5-1 hiding in the grass on Lake Okeechobee.

3:21 p.m. EST — Ott DeFoe is back on top after catching a 2-10. The Elimination Line is set at 5-15 by Mike McClelland. There are still eight anglers without a scorable bass, but as we’ve seen, it’s still anyone’s ballgame.

2:53 p.m. EST — Another lead change at the top and it is now Cody Meyer as the man everyone is looking up at. Meyer boated a 5-7 and a 6-3 in less than an hour to move his total weight to 20-15.

2:15 p.m. EST — We have eight anglers without a scorable bass on SCORETRACKER®. Bobby Lane, Brett Hite, Casey Ashley, Jason Christie, Jesse Wiggins, Mark Davis, Russ Lane and Zack Birge all have goose eggs. All are surprising names to see with a zero next to them, but for Florida pro Bobby Lane it’s quite perplexing. He has plenty of experience fishing Lake Okeechobee but the weather may be playing a big factor.

It has to be tough to be Jason Christie. The Oklahoma pro didn’t catch a scorable bass in two days during Stage One on Lake Eufaula and is no in danger of ending another day empty handed.

1:21 p.m. EST — We are right in the middle of the Berkley Power Break as we get ready for the start of Period 3. Ott DeFoe still leads but Fletcher Shryock is making a run at the top spot. Shryock has five bass for 11-7, just 2-13 behind DeFoe.

There are still 10 pros without a scorable bass today. On the bright side, the current Elimination Line is only at 4-3. As we’ve seen many times today, that deficit can be covered with one swing of the rod.

12:47 p.m. EST — It’s amazing what two quality fish can do for you. Adrian Avena was sitting without a scorable bass for the entire day until landing a 5-3 and a 6-0 in just five minutes of time. Avena is now in second place behind DeFoe by just 3-1.

12:38 p.m. EST — Ott DeFoe is the new leader on Lake Okeechobee. DeFoe has five bass for 14-4. The Tennessee pro has two more scorable bass than the second-place angler David Dudley.

Adrian Avena quickly adds a 6-pounder to move into second place.

Adrian Avena lands a 5-3 for his first catch of the day.

12:09 p.m. EST — As morning turns to afternoon one of the pre-event favorites is starting to make a run. Randall Tharp has found a spot with some current thanks to the gusting wind. The wind is moving the water and Tharp is targeting that spot with a stick worm. He has put down the big flipping rod and has caught three scorable bass in seven minutes. Tharp is now into seventh place on SCORETRACKER®.

11:40 a.m. EST — Takahiro Omori lands a 2-pounder shortly after boating a 1-13, which is not scorable in this Stage. That moves him into fourth place with an hour and a half left in the second period. Cody Meyer is right behind Omori, with four bass for 9-05. Both Meyer and Dave Lefebre have made positive movements up SCORETRACKER in Period 2. Lefebre is in sixth with 8-12.

Lefebre has moved into the Top 10 in Period 2, thanks in part to this 4-05.

11:25 a.m. EST — Half the field, 20 MLF pros, have made it onto SCORETRACKER. Seven of the anglers have just one scorable bass, but they’re just one catch away from moving into the Top 10. Michael Neal has snuck into eighth place, he’s caught two bass for a total of 6 pounds, 10 ounces. Mike McClelland is right behind him in ninth with 5-15. JT Kenney pointed out that most of the MLF pros are staying in the northern portion of the lake because the wind has blown out much of the south side.

11:00 a.m. EST — Jacob Wheeler shot up SCORETRACKER early in Period 2, with a 2-pounder followed by a 5-13. He’s currently sitting in fourth place, behind David Dudley, Jason Lambert and Ott DeFoe.

Jacob Wheeler’s 5-pounder helped him move up to fourth place early in Period 2.

10:35 a.m. EST — Period 1 is over and we’re seeing plenty of movement on SCORETRACKER, however fewer than half of the MLF pros competing today have boated a scorable bass. David Dudley is in the lead with 10 pounds, 8 ounces but Jason Lambert is right behind him with 10-03. JT Kenney explained that both anglers are in the same area of the lake, on the west side of Okeechobee, where there’s a lot of underwater, submerged vegetation. Marty Stone pointed out that neither Randall Tharp or Bobby Lane is on SCORETRACKER, which is surprising because many of the MLF pros picked those two competitors as the ones to beat at this event.

10:10 a.m. EST — There are now 17 of the 40 pros on SCORETRACKER®. While there have been some impressive bass, we haven’t seen any jaw-dropping bass yet. A few 5-pounders and even a 6-pounder from David Dudley, but we are still waiting for the truly massive ones to bite. The weather could obviously be playing a factor, but you never know for sure with these fickle Florida strain largemouths.

9:27 a.m. EST — We have a new leader and it’s Jason Lambert. It’s no secret that Lambert struggled immensely during the 2019 Bass Pro Tour. Lambert is using the knowledge he collected during his win on Okeechobee in 2016 while fishing on the FLW Pro Circuit to have some success. He just added a 5-pounder to his total weight to move up on SCORETRACKER®.

Ott DeFoe brings in a 5-7 around some grass.

David Dudley with the big fish of the day so far, a 6-3.

9:18 a.m. EST — We’ve seen a glimpse of how most of Day 1 will likely go: bigger fish showing up here and there, and some hard work and patience to locate the right stretches of grass/mats/vegetation for more than onesie-twosie scorable fish. David Dudley is the first to crack the 6-pound mark with a 6-3.

9:00 a.m. EST — Dustin Connell is your current leader in Period 1 with two bass for 5-5, but Edwin Evers is right up there with him. The Oklahoma pro began his day with a 5-5 for his first scorable bass of the day. There are seven pros with a scorable bass so far today.

Edwin Evers lands the biggest fish of the day so far at 5-5.

Dustin Connell grabs a 3-3 to move into first place early in Period 1.

8:22 a.m. EST — Brett Hite just mentioned how difficult this day may be for Group A because of this weather. We’re over 20 minutes into Period 1 and there are only three pros on SCORETRACKER®. Gerald Spohrer is in first place with a 2-2 followed by Dustin Connell and Michael Neal, each with a 2-1.

8:00 a.m. EST — The MLF NOW! crew was just discussing how this cold front may impact this finicky Florida largemouth. JT Kenney mentioned that just the slightest change in temperature can mess with the bite, but since it has been so warm over the past few days in south central Florida, the anglers might be alright. We’ll see how it works out as we go “Lines In.”