New Names Making Championship Round Debut
BRANSON, Mo. – There will be some new faces in the Championship Round of the Berkley Stage Six Presented by TrueTimber come Wednesday. By new faces, I mean big names who are making their first appearance in a Championship Round this season on the Bass Pro Tour.
In a weather-hindered Knockout Round, we saw six anglers
who have yet to experience a fourth day of fishing — Andy Montgomery, Bobby Lane, Cliff Pace, Zack Birge, Aaron Martens and Greg Vinson — punch their tickets to Wednesday.
Big Day for Bobby Lane
Lane was able to find the fish early and often and late and frequent in the Knockout Round. He finished the day in first place with 60 bass caught for a record-breaking 95-3. Stone says that Bobby has been doing the right things all week long, which is why he is where he is in the standings.
“Bobby is a former MLF World Champion so it’s surprising that this is his first Championship Round on the Bass Pro Tour as well,” said MLF NOW! analyst Marty Stone. “The fish that he’s fishing are replenishing in the area that he’s located. You always want to be in front of the fish and that’s where Bobby is right now. The most impressive thing about his Knockout Round was that where he was, there was no wind. That just shows you how many fish are there in that area.”
‘Bout Time for Birge
Zack Birge has been so close to making a Championship Round so many times this season he could taste it. He finished 14th in Stage Five and 13th in Stage Four including two other Knockout Round appearances. The multiple weather delays didn’t affect Birge in the slightest on Tuesday as he was able to finish with 86 pounds, good enough for second place. The Championship Round berth has been a long time coming, and Stone can’t wait to see what the Oklahoma pro can do.
“I’ve been waiting for a long time to see Zack Birge in a Championship Round,” Stone gushed. “This kid is one of the best young anglers we have on tour because he catches a lot of fish and covers a lot of water. He probably had the quietest round of everybody and still finished in second place. He said something the other day that stuck out to me: in the morning he chases shade, in the afternoon he chases wind. He’s figured something out here that other guys haven’t. If he is able to get a good shad-spawn bite in the morning, this could be his tournament to lose.”
Montgomery Magic
Andy Montgomery led for most of the day during the Knockout Round before Lane went on his tear. Montgomery ended the stormy day with 53 bass for 83-4, good enough to put him in third place. We’ve seen Montgomery make it to three Knockout Rounds in the previous five events, but he’s never been able to reach the Top 10. That fact is one that leaves Stone scratching his head.
“Andy Montgomery not making a Championship Round in the Bass Pro Tour is probably a bigger surprise than him making it to a Championship Round,” Stone stated.
Montgomery was able to sprint past the competition and secure his place at the top of SCORETRACKER® thanks to an early morning bite that Stone believes isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“He’s on a pattern that he’s been able to run for two days and it’s only going to get better,” Stone explained. “He is fishing the shad spawn off of boat docks and where he’s working, the fish are replenishing after he catches them. That sets up really well for him come the Championship Round on Wednesday.”
Cliff Pace’s Comeback
Pace has had an impressive week in southwest Missouri. He set the record for most combined weight over a Shotgun and Elimination Round with 134-13. However, his Bass Pro Tour season up to that point had been rough. Pace did not make a Knockout Round in the first five stages of the season, but that narrative is moot now as he finds himself with a shot at a championship.
“It has not been a good season for Cliff Pace, but we saw him break that total weight record the other day, so we have seen how well he’s adjusted to Table Rock Lake,” Stone outlined. “Because of the wind, this was not a good day for offshore fishing, which is what he’s best at. Cliff was able to make the Championship Round on his ‘B’ stuff. When that wind dies down tomorrow and he’s able to offshore fish for largemouth, spotted and smallmouth, it’s going to get even better for him.”
Vinson in it to Win it
It was a lonely day for Greg Vinson on the water, and that’s a good thing. The sixth-place finisher was consistent all day thanks to an area near Long Creek that he has all to himself. Stone says that because Vinson doesn’t have to share that quality area, it could spell danger for the other nine pros in the Championship Round.
“The fish he’s catching on the banks seem to be bigger on average than everyone else’s,” Stone said. “He made a nice adjustment using a topwater lure as well later in the day. He’s got a couple of points where he can catch a lot of fish and get in a groove, I think the size of fish he’s reeling in could be big enough to get him the win. It’s all about how he deals with the pressure of a Championship Round.”
Martens Making it Happen
Aaron Martens rode a wave of smallmouth and spotted bass to the Championship Round. Known as a dominant offshore angler, Martens finessed his way to 44 catches for 75-1, finishing in seventh. Stone was surprised that it was Martens’ first Championship Round, but he says he really likes the way the California pro is handling Table Rock Lake.
“Aaron has been a champion in everything that he’s ever done,” Stone said. “The way this lake is setting up for him, it could be really impressive. He’s locating schools of spotted and smallmouth bass, and he’s catching them offshore. Aaron looks for groups of fish, and when you make it to the Championship Round and you have a group of fish, that’s a big deal.”
The Top 10 hit the water on Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. CT to get the Championship Round started. The coverage begins on MajorLeagueFishing.com with SCORETRACKER® at “lines in,” with the MLF NOW! live stream beginning at 9 a.m. CT. Only one angler will walk away with the Stage Six Championship and a $100,000 check.