MDJ Advances, Sprague and Christie Round Out Top 3

Mark Daniels, Jr. is advancing straight to the Stage Three Championship Round. Photo by Phoenix Moore

March 15, 2020 • Tyler Brinks • Bass Pro Tour

LAKE FORK, Texas – Sunday at the General Tire Stage Three Presented by TrueTimber on Lake Fork was another stout day fishing for Texas largemouth, with several big bass added to SCORETRACKER®.

A cold front dropped the temperatures substantially, which seemed to put a damper on the shallow bite. The top three anglers in Group A – Mark Daniels, Jr., Jeff Sprague and Jason Christie – remained in their respective positions from Day 1, but as is always the case on an elimination day, some anglers rose in the standings and several fell out of contention.

MDJ Makes the Century Club

After hauling in a nearly 85 pounds during Qualifying Round 1, Mark Daniels, Jr.’s next goal was winning his round and advancing straight to the Championship Round.

He did his part by catching seven bass for 27 pounds, bringing his total to 111 pounds, 15 ounces. That total was rewarded with an automatic advancement to the final day on Lake Athens. To get there, he had no choice but to keep pushing as he had a target on his back with the rest of the field chasing after him.

“I knew it was going to be a grind and that Sprague would be tough today being that it’s his home lake,” Daniels said. “I knew I had to come out swinging.”

Aside from a bed fish to start the day and a key fish on a Rat-L-Trap, Daniels said he’s been catching them the way he loves to fish.

“I’ve been flipping and pitching a new prototype Z-Man bait and that’s how I grew up fishing and how I feel most comfortable fishing,” he said.

Daniels will now have two days off and will join the rest of the Top 10 at Lake Athens on Wednesday for the Championship Round.

Sprague Stays in Second

Jeff Sprague ended the day with 106 pounds, 4 ounces. Photo by Garrick Dixon

Sprague was one of the few anglers with a realistic shot of catching Daniels and he tried his best to get there.

“I’m a little disappointed, but excited to have made it to the next round,” Sprague said.

He added 33 pounds, 8 ounces on nine fish to bring his total to 106 pounds, 4 ounces. Today’s catch total was less than half of what he pulled in during his first day of fishing and he is not sure why.

“The fishing was off and I don’t know if it was the cold front or the fishing pressure that hurt it most, but it seemed like the bass just pulled back out,” Sprague assessed. “I’m looking forward to coming back out here when it warms up because it should only get better.”

Christie Rounds Out Top Three

Jason Christie is moving on to his first Knockout Round of the 2020 season. Photo by Jesse Schultz

After catching two trophy bass (a 10-4 and 9-2) during Qualifying Round 1, Jason Christie wasn’t able to duplicate his big bass success. He totaled eight bass for 28 pounds, 15 ounces to remain in third. His two-day total is 97 pounds, 11 ounces.

“It was a lot tougher today and I didn’t get as many bites,” Christie recapped. “I decided to run up further in the mud and I’d like to have that decision back because it didn’t work out.”

Looking ahead, he’s confident in what’s been working for him, but also willing to make an audible if it doesn’t pan out.

“I’m going to go back through those same areas where I’ve been catching them, but if that doesn’t work, I’m going to fish all new water,” Christie said.

Moving Day

Josh Bertrand moved from 23rd to 7th place. Photo by Jesse Schultz

Several anglers made valiant runs towards the Top 20, but only three anglers will advance after starting the day below the 20th spot.

Josh Bertrand was a big mover today thanks to a day best weight total of 43 pounds, 6 ounces as he rallied from 23rd to 7th place. Luke Clausen (25th to 13th) and Terry Scroggins (22nd to 17th) were the other two to jump into the Top 20.

Brett Hite (19th to 25th), Bradley Roy (20th to 29th), and James Elam (19th to 27th) were all eliminated from the competition.

Looking Ahead

Group B heads back to Fork on Monday for “moving day” as half of the field will be eliminated, and the other half will get at least one more day of fishing. The weather is showing signs of improvement, with a predicted high of 68-degrees and scattered showers.

How, When, Where to Watch

Watch all three periods of competition during the MLF NOW! live stream beginning at 9:45 a.m CST on March 13- 18, 2020. Watch for FREE on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, or the MyOutdoorTV app.