Murray’s Pair of 7-13’s Have Him in Position for First Knockout Round Berth of the Season
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – For about 30 minutes on Saturday morning, John Murray was in the driver’s seat with the Berkley Big Bass of the Day during Toyota Heavy Hitters Presented by Venmo. It wasn’t until after his round was over that he found out his pair of 7-pound, 13-ounce bass weren’t enough to keep him in the hunt for Group A’s $25,000 big-bass award.
“I thought I had the lead for the biggest bass of the day all day long because I never heard from my official that Ehrler and Lucas had 8-pounders,” Murray said through his signature grin and a chuckle. “Now, I didn’t think I was going to be the heaviest for these first Qualifying Rounds, but it would have been nice to have been pleasantly surprised.”
One-Spot Wonder
Still, Murray had one of his best days of the 2020 Bass Pro Tour season as the circuit continued after a nearly four-month break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tennessee pro finished Qualifying Day 1 in fourth place with six bass for 29 pounds, 6 ounces, almost all of which he caught in one spot.
“I pulled up to that spot in practice, made one cast and caught a 5-pounder,” Murray recalled. “I know from my experience fishing in grass, if there’s one big one then there are bound to be more.”
When he rolled up to that spot on Saturday morning – a spot that was only about 5 feet deep – he was unable to get any bites in the first period. It wasn’t until about halfway through the second period that he got his first bite, and he made it count. A 7-13 largemouth followed by another 7-13 just 10 minutes later, both on a Z-Man ChatterBait.
“That first big one I caught was just textbook,” Murray analyzed. “I ran the bait through the grass like you should, tugged right as it was about to leave the grass and hooked into a 7-13. The second one I caught 20 to 30 feet away from the boat. I was lifting the ChatterBait out of the water, he just took it off the surface and railroaded me down. I don’t think there was any rhyme or reason to how I caught them, I just think I found them at the right time.”
That same area also got him a 3-11 followed by a 5-5 in Period 3. Throw in a 7-10 that Kevin VanDam caught just a few feet from Murray earlier in the day, the Arizona native is safe to assume that he found the right area to put the heavy in Heavy Hitters.
“I saw some scaled bluegill pop up a few times today, ones that had been eaten,” Murray said. “I know the big ones are eating because that first 7-13 had a huge tail sticking out of his mouth.”
Murray’s Day 2 Strategy
Murray is more than 17 pounds above the Elimination Line after Day 1, so he admitted he feels like he’s in a good place to make his first Knockout Round of the 2020 season. When he goes back on the water on Tuesday, the Ranger Boats pro has one thing on his mind: reclaiming the top spot in the big bass race.
“I think my best shot to win that $25,000 for our group is going to be in that area, so I’m going back,” Murray stated. “I’m going to fish hard to catch a 9-pounder and win that money. But, if it doesn’t happen by the end of the first period, that’s when I’ll start running around and looking for new stuff.”
Murray made two Knockout Rounds in the 2019 season, one of them came during Stage One right back in Kissimmee on Lake Toho. If he were able to move on to the Knockout Round this time around, Murray says he would have his Florida performances of the past to thank.
“Florida has always been a good place to fish for me in my mind,” Murray admitted. “I thought I was going to make the Knockout Round during Stage Two at Okeechobee but just missed it. I’ve never really done well in Florida tournaments, but I’ve always caught them well. The first three stages of this year were pretty frustrating so a Knockout Round would be great for me and my confidence.”
Toyota Heavy Hitters Presented by Venmo continues on Monday, June 8 with coverage starting at 6:45 a.m. EDT. Thirty-nine new anglers will hit the waters of the Kissimmee Chain for Qualifying Day 2.