CULLMAN, Ala. – MLF Bass Pro Tour pros get a couple of days of practice on a lake in the days leading up to an event, and that was no different for the Phoenix Boats Stage Five Presented by Mercury on Smith Lake this week. But when you have a day as productive as Jesse Wiggins had in the Shotgun Round, you earn yourself a little extra practice time in the Elimination Round thanks to the cushion you build.
As a Cullman native, Wiggins familiarity with Smith Lake has been well-documented throughout the week. Thanks to his record-setting Shotgun Round on Wednesday, Wiggins was able to spend his entire Elimination Round searching and planning for his inevitable Knockout Round.
“I was able to mark off a bunch of places today that I know I don’t want to fish on Saturday,” Wiggins laid out. “Luckily, there were about two or three more places that I feel like I can really catch them tomorrow, so hopefully those work out.”
Wiggins breaks down his practice to the most simple factor of all: whether he catches fish or not.
“When I’m out there practicing I need to catch some fish in an area to feel good about it,” Wiggins said. “I can’t just see them on the depth finder or like the way it looks. I need to be able to get some fish in the boat if I’m going to go back there.”
Wiggins finished the day with a total weight of 98 pounds, 2 ounces and within striking distance of breaking the triple-digit mark. His sights were squarely focused on creating a gameplan for Saturday and Sunday, but with about 60 minutes remaining, Wiggins decided to take a run at the century mark.
“I didn’t really try to break 100 pounds until the last hour,” Wiggins admitted. “I didn’t want to pressure any fish because I know I’m going to need them tomorrow. I’d rather win the tournament than break 100 pounds. I could have broken that mark this morning because they were biting on every cast, but I decided to leave and not to beat on them too much.”
The 29-year-old pro has spent the majority of his life fishing Smith Lake and has seen just about everything the lake can throw at him. However, just because he’s experienced, that doesn’t mean that he’ll turn away new knowledge.
“I hope somebody shows me something different this week and teaches me something I didn’t know about this lake,” Wiggins said with a laugh. “I love learning new stuff, I just hope they get second place while they’re showing it to me.”
Weather could be a factor on Saturday with rain expected for much of the day. The precipitation can pester the pros, but Wiggins says he’s willing to endure a little soaking if it helps out the Knockout Round bite.
“I’m not too worried about the rain tomorrow,” Wiggins explained. “As long as the bait sticks around, the fish should stick around. If anything, the rain will make the fishing better because it’s been slick and sunny every day. It will give the fish something different.”
The Top 20 anglers from Group A and Group B will meet in Saturday’s Knockout Round, where only the Top 10 will advance to the Championship Round. Weights will reset and zero as lines go in at 6:30 a.m. CT. Coverage begins on MajorLeagueFishing.com at “lines in” with SCORETRACKER® and the MLF NOW! live stream gets started at 9 a.m. CT.