Shryock Focuses on Big Bass, Heavy Hitters Qualification to End ‘Knockout Round Curse’
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – It’s funny that there will be an event named “Heavy Hitters” on the Bass Pro Tour this season, because it’s causing a lot of anglers to start to “swing for the proverbial fences” trying to hit home runs.
That was the case for Fletcher Shryock today on Lake Okeechobee during the Knockout Round of the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Two Presented by Bass Cat.
Shryock went through his entire first period without a scorable bass on SCORETRACKER®. The Ohio native heard his MLF official rattle off update after update all morning long about the sizable bass the rest of the field was catching. While other anglers may have had a couple of places where they knew they could catch fish, Shryock was stuck at one particular spot.
“I had one area on the lake that I knew I could catch fish, so I went there today just like yesterday,” Shryock said. “I was only getting bit by nonscorable bass and getting a little frustrated. I thought about it and I told myself it was time to just fish for one big bass to help out my Heavy Hitters qualification.”
Shryock entered Stage Two in 35th place for Heavy Hitters qualification, five spots below the Qualification Line. He brought in a 5-pound, 12-ounce Alabama largemouth in Stage One, but was going to need something more than that if he wanted to compete in Toho later this spring.
After an hour or so of hunting for a monster, Shryock set the hook on a 4-4 for his first scorable bass of the day. Not the monster he was looking for, but he was far from finished. Just 10 minutes later, he boated a 6-5 followed up by a 6-2. Add on another 4-4 at the end of Period 2 and Shryock was sitting near the top of SCORETRACKER® with four bass for 20-15.
What began as a scramble to salvage an event quickly turned into a chance at qualifying for a Championship Round. Shryock added a 2-10 and two 2-1s to end his day, giving him an eighth-place finish and a spot in Wednesday’s Championship Round.
The Abu Garcia pro was obviously happy moving on to the next round, but he was also left wondering what could have been if he made the right adjustments earlier.
“I probably could have had five fish for 30 pounds if I would have landed all of them today,” Shryock said as he drained out his livewell that he turned into a makeshift drink cooler. “I had to switch from a 7-foot-6 Abu Garcia Premier Heavy rod to a Medium Heavy because I kept losing other big fish at the boat. The rod was too stiff to land them and I lost maybe a couple more 5-pounders that way. I have to make them count come tomorrow.”
Tuesday was Shryock’s eighth Knockout Round appearance in 10 events on the Bass Pro Tour. He took home a 17th-place finish during Stage Eight in Neenah, Wisconsin, his best of the year. Shryock started off Stage One in 2020 in 19th place, missing out on the Championship Round once again. But after locking up his first Championship Round appearance, the Spiderwire pro hopes he finally put his self-titled “Knockout Round Curse” to bed.
As he heads out to the exact same spot Wednesday morning with a chance at $100,000, Shryock will know not only how he will be fishing, but what his spot can produce if he is able to get them in the boat.
“When those fish in the area I’m in bite, I know it’s going to be a King Kong type of bass,” Shryock explained. “There’s just not a lot of 2- or 3-pounders up there. I know when I see those reeds shake that I’m going to have a battle on my hands tomorrow. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”