HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Matteo Turano caught 19 pounds, 13 ounces on Day 2 to move up from second place and take the lead in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hamilton. After weighing 19-10 on Day 1, Turano is up to 39-7 with one day left, and he has a 3-7 lead over roommate Clint Knight, who is in second with an even 36 pounds.
Behind the two LBL Division sticks, Tanner Hadden is in third with 33-4, and Cody Ross cracked 18-3 on Day 2 to move up to fourth with a 31-2 total. Dropping to fifth after leading, Buddy Benson only managed 10-14 on Day 2.
On the co-angler side, Scott Standafer stayed in the lead, catching a three-fish limit for an even 9 pounds to get up to a 21-6 total. He’ll go out on Day 3 with a solid edge over D. Michael Lowe in second place.
Only the Top 10 boaters and co-anglers will fish on Day 3, and it will be live from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. CT on MFLNOW! with huge rewards for the winners. On the boater side, Turano (or anyone else) could take home up to $120,000 and qualify for REDCREST 2026. Meanwhile, a prize of $50,000 awaits the winning co-angler.
Hot morning puts Turano ahead
A recent transplant to Tennessee to chase bass, Turano is one of several remarkable young anglers who grew up in Illinois. Now rigging boats for A.C.S. Marine and catching fish up and down the Tennessee River like it’s his job, Turano is on the cusp of the sort of achievement that can define a fishing career.
On Day 2, he really only needed an hour or so in the morning to put himself in the driver’s seat.
“I just started on an area where I was seeing a lot of fish yesterday,” Turano said. “I had no idea that there were any real big fish there, but I just wanted to get a limit early. And getting a limit early turned into catching an 8- to 9-pounder on my second fish. After that fish, I was just able to fish super clean the rest of the day and do what I wanted to do, and I just had no stress.”
At weigh-in, the kicker rang in at 7-15, and it was one of a number of big fish that have been caught. So far, nobody has managed to catch two giants in a day, but if someone can do it tomorrow, they might be able to charge from anywhere in the Top 10 for the win.
Turano saw some more big ones today, and he’s hoping to take another crack at them tomorrow.
“I think there’s some left tomorrow,” he said. “It’s going to be really hard to get a big one, but I’ve got a couple that I just couldn’t get to eat, and I’m starting on one of them.”
Since the morning, Turano has started to think about what a win could mean.
“I’ve been fishing since I was 2 years old,” Turano said. “My mom’s taken me to little kids’ fishing derbies ever since I was 4 or 5, and it’s just something I’ve always loved. I fished my first bass tournament in high school. I think we got third place, and after that, I’ve just been hooked.
“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” he said. “This is probably the longest tournament day I’ve ever had to fish, just because I caught that big one so early. And, man, my mind has been racing all day, but I just had to stay in it and remember it’s not over, and we still got one more day of fishing.”
Big bass on Day 2 buoys Knight
Weighing an 8-pounder of his own, Knight slid up two spots to second, and considering how the event has been going, and the caliber of fish available, he’s very much got a chance to win. At 27 years old, Knight isn’t quite as young as some of his competition, but he’s come into his own lately, fishing right alongside Turano, making hay in the LBL Division and elsewhere on the Tennessee River, when he’s not doing masonry.
“This whole tournament is going to be decided on who gets one big bite a day, and that’s just basically what it’s going to come down to,” Knight said. “I think the majority of us who are doing about the same thing kind of realize that. And at the beginning of the tournament, we thought it was going to be one big bite over three days, but now it’s going to be one big bite per day.”
Staying with Turano and Jake Lawrence (who made the cut in eighth), Knight is part of a pretty superlative crew this week.
“It is a weird feeling now, especially, you know, after weighing in and taking a step back,” he said. “We all stayed together at the Regional. We all made it there. The whole house made it, and now the whole house made it again. It’s something I’m very proud of because they’re good friends to me.”
Knight can bounce between emotional sincerity and a joke at high speed, but he knows what a win here can do, and that he’s right in the hunt for it.
“That’s something I’m super excited about, but being able to catch one 8-pounder both days, your luck’s not looking good to do it three days in a row,” he said. “But if it’s meant to be, I mean, it’ll be. And if not, I’m happy to be here. I would probably be in tears on the stage if I won, but I’m going to put it in the Lord’s hands.”
Top 10 boaters
1. Matteo Turano – 39 – 7 (10)
2. Clint Knight – 36 – 0 (10)
3. Tanner Hadden – 33 – 4 (10)
4. Cody Ross – 31 – 2 (10)
5. Buddy Benson – 31 – 1 (10)
6. Caz Anderson – 30 – 1 (10)
7. Harbor Lovin – 29 – 4 (10)
8. Jake Lawrence – 29 – 1 (10)
9. Dillon Falardeau – 28 – 15 (10)
10. Zack Fogle – 28 – 9 (10)