OCALA, Fla. — Low, dirty water had some pros tempering expectations ahead of Orange Lake’s national tournament debut at Kubota Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops. Florida native Terry Scroggins, who knows the fishery as well as anyone in the field, said it’s “100% fishing tough for Orange Lake right now.”
Yet, on Saturday, the lake showed why it’s earned a reputation as Florida’s premier big-bass factory.
The bite may not have been fast and furious throughout the opening day of the Qualifying Round for Group A, but the 16 anglers combined to catch 10 bass over 6 pounds, including some savage topwater strikes. Scroggins used his local expertise to boat three over 7 on his own. He racked up 62 pounds, 3 ounces on 15 scorable bass to take a commanding lead. He’s 27-3 ahead of Takahiro Omori in second place and nearly 44 pounds clear of the Lucas Oil Cut Line.
Omori, meanwhile, earned the first of the boosted Berkley Big Bass payouts that are unique to Heavy Hitters by landing a 10-1 lunker. The biggest bass in Heavy Hitters history, it earned Omori $10,000.
Full results can be found here.
‘Big Show’ shows off
Scroggins entered Day 1 feeling like he could catch 15 scorable bass, which proved dead on. But the way his day unfolded has him more optimistic about the rest of the event than he was at takeoff.
Scroggins, who resides about an hour away from Orange Lake, started Saturday on the southern end of the fishery in an area that featured cleaner water and gaps in the hydrilla – two ingredients that aren’t easy to find right now. Thus, he figured it would attract quite a bit of pressure. Indeed, Omori and Cole Floyd – the two anglers right behind him on SCORETRACKER® – spent most of the morning within eyesight.
That area produced nine scorable bass for Scroggins before noon, headlined by an 8-9 and a 7-14. He then spent the latter half of the day running new water and was pleased to add six more bass to his total, including a 7-5.
“I went to an area where I thought I could catch four or five scorables, and I ended up catching eight or nine out of there,” Scroggins said. “But I left out of there pretty early and just went and ran some new stuff and found a couple more areas that’s got ‘em. So, I feel good about it.”
Getting extra time to scout new water during competition could be especially valuable at this event. With Orange Lake fishing small due to the low water and Heavy Hitters spanning six days, Scroggins doesn’t think the best spots from Day 1 (like the area he started in) will still be viable come the Knockout and Championship Rounds.
“Where we caught them, I was in there, Takahiro was in there, Cole Floyd was in there, and then Todd Faircloth came in there,” he said. “And then there’s no telling who’s going to be in there tomorrow. That area is going to get beat up. It’s not going to be good. So, it’s important to find some new stuff.”
The other thing that has Scroggins feeling optimistic is how he caught many of his fish. In addition to a vibrating jig, he mixed in a topwater prop bait. While far from a secret, he thinks his years of experience throwing the bait in Florida could give him an edge. It yielded eight of his bass Saturday, including four of the five he caught over 4 pounds.
With a huge cushion over the cut line, Scroggins plans to devote the entire second day of qualifying to looking for even more new water – and hunting for a $10,000 big bass, of course.
“I feel pretty good,” he said. “I left out of there where I caught them this morning around 12 o’clock or so – partway through the second period. And I caught a 5, a 7 and a 4, and I got just as many bites not in that area as I was in there. So, I feel good about it.”
Omori lands first tournament 10
There have been a lot of big bass caught during the first six editions of Heavy Hitters, both in terms of size and the paychecks they’ve earned the anglers who caught them. But never had one cracked double digits.
It took less than one period on Orange Lake for Omori to change that. His 10-1 claimed Berkley Big Bass honors by more than a pound over Floyd’s 8-14, earning him the first of four $10,000 prizes that will be handed out each day of the Qualifying Round.
Like all eight scorable bass Omori caught on the day, that giant ate a topwater walking bait. It also marked the first 10-pounder the newly minted Bass Fishing Hall of Famer has ever caught in a tournament.
What’s next at Heavy Hitters
Heavy Hitters features a different format than every other Bass Pro Tour event. Group A will take Sunday off, as the 16 anglers in Group B will take the water for their first day of qualifying. Group A will then return to the water on Monday, and the top eight anglers at the end of the day will earn spots in Wednesday’s Knockout Round, where the Berkley Big Bass bonus increases to $30,000. Ultimately, both the winner of the Championship Round and the angler who catches the biggest bass will earn $100,000.
Keep watching all the action on the MLFNOW! livestream from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET each day through Thursday at MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps and the Major League Fishing channel on Rumble.