Quality Outweighed Quantity In Shotgun Round 2

RALEIGH, N.C. – The cat was out of the bag after Shotgun Round 1: there were big fish to be caught on Jordan Lake. On a cold but sunny Shotgun Round 2, Group B came prepared to light up SCORETRACKER and it did not disappoint.

Ish Finds His Big Fish

We saw our fair share of 7-plus pounders (six in total) in Group B, but the volume of total catches didn’t compare to Group A. That wasn’t a problem for California pro Ish Monroe, as he was able to reel in only 10 bass with a total weight of 40 pounds, 1 ounce. If you do the math, you can see that Monroe averaged 4 pounds per fish, something he takes a lot of pride in.

“It’s the way I fish,” Monroe explained. “I don’t try to fish for little ones, I don’t fish with little sissy baits, and that’s nothing against smaller baits. But, when you fish with big baits for big fish and put your bait in the spots where big fish live, you’re going to be targeting big fish.”

Monroe finished the day in fifth place, but spent the majority of his day at the top of SCORETRACKER in first. He says the key to his success was his willingness to go where other anglers won’t.

“I like to fish the heaviest cover, stuff that most guys won’t go fish because you spend a lot of time fixing your bait, pulling your bait, and getting hung up,” Monroe detailed. “It’s a mindset that you have to have when you’re going out there that if you’re going to fish for big ones, fish for big ones.”

Horton Hooks a Hog

Another angler who spent his day flipping through brush piles is Tim Horton. Horton sits in 15^th place with 23-13 and 4 pounds above the Elimination Line heading into Friday’s Elimination Round.

“I was really pleased with my day,” Horton recapped. “I feel like I lost a 7- and a 5-pounder today but it turns into a circus when you’re back there in those bushes. Still, it was a lot of fun.”

The bite was difficult for the Alabama native at times as he was only able to land six bass on the day. The majority of his fish (including his 7-7) he caught while flipping a black/blue swirl Klone Crawsome with a Bass Pro Shops 3/8-ounce tungsten weight.

Still, when he got bit, he made it count. Like Monroe, Horton averaged 4 pounds per fish, which was the difference between a Top 20 finish or a bottom 20.

“Those big fish are just game changers,” Horton explained. “When you grind all day and you know you have a shot at a 7 or 8-pounder it just helps your confidence. It’s amazing to see the size of these fish this far north. These bass are built like they’re from Florida, it’s incredible.”

Connell Opts for Slow and Steady

Dustin Connell finished his Shotgun Round in seventh place thanks to 8 bass for 30-15 (an average of 3-14). While his bites were few and far between, he made sure to pay attention to SCORETRACKER throughout the day. Thanks to the technology, he was well aware of the sizable fish that were coming out of the North Carolina water. However, hearing what was happening around him made him speed up more than he wanted to.

“A lot of times as a fisherman you think too much,” Connell expressed. “I was trying to run around and fish places I had bites on in practice, but the problem is the water had dropped. I was trying to fish areas that didn’t have enough water on it for about an hour. This time of year you really have to fish slow, I even wrote that on my hand to remind myself to slow down. I finally started to listen to myself.”

After he was able to slow his pace, the fish started to pick up theirs. Flipping a Googan Baits Krackin’ Craw or a Bandito Bug on a 7-foot-3 heavy Favorite Rush rod, Connell was able to boat a 5-2, 4-10, and two 3-14 bass in his round.

Roy Plays for Average

Bradley Roy rode a jig and a spinnerbait to his 10^th-place finish. The Kentucky pro was able to hook six bass for 26-5, his biggest a 7-12 in the second period. While he was surprised by how few bites he had, he was more impressed with what he was able to pull out.

“It’s crazy how many big fish are in this lake,” Roy said. “I don’t know how many total fish are in this lake, but the fish are so healthy and so fat. It’s unreal. Any time you can consistently catch 3-pounders and get lucky enough to get in a 7 or 8-pounder, you’re in the ball game. Luckily that was the case for me today.”

The MLF format has been known to benefit different kinds styles and strategies. Some anglers chase numbers of fish while others choose to hunt down heavier weights. Roy says that while you can catch high numbers of fish, that isn’t always the best strategy or what he chooses to do.

“You hear people say, ‘MLF is a dinkfest and it plays to the guys who catch 1 and 2-pounders.’ Well, that’s not always the case,” Roy corrected. “If you’re catching 4-, 5- and 6-pounders, those add up a lot faster than the 1 and 2-pounders. I didn’t get a lot of bites, but every time I got a bite it seemed like it was making a dent.”

The MLF Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Three Presented by Evinrude continues Thursday with Group A’s Elimination Round on Falls Lake. The 40 anglers in Group A will compete for their spot in the Top 20 and the right to advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round.

The action starts at 7:30 a.m. ET with SCORETRACKER on MajorLeagueFishing.com or the MLF app. The MLF NOW! live stream begins at 10 a.m. ET with all of the action from Falls Lake.