Meyer First to Target Weight; Chapman, Lee & Martens Clinch Championship Round
MUSKOGEE, Okla. – It didn’t take long for us to get our four anglers moving on in Sudden Death Round 2 of the Sqwincher Patriot Cup Presented by Venmo. Cody Meyer, Brent Chapman, Jordan Lee and Aaron Martens all locked up their respective spots rather quickly to set the field of eight for the Championship Round in eastern Oklahoma.
Meyer Starts Out Hot
There’s catching fish fast, and then there’s what Cody Meyer did at the end of Period 1 on Fort Gibson Lake. With less than 15 minutes remaining in the period and Meyer with only 5 pounds, 9 ounces on SCORETRACKER®, the California pro was starring an early exit right in the face.
“Today started off pretty slow,” Meyer explained. “I started in a pocket that I thought was going to be good. I went all the way to the back of that pocket and caught nothing. On the way out, I caught a 2-9 and I thought I had it figured out. But then it got tough again.”
In a last-chance effort to get something going before the first period break, Meyer trolled up to an area with flooded bushes and trees. With a spinnerbait tied on, Meyer proceeded to catch six bass in 10 minutes, adding 10-1 to his total weight and easily pushing him past the 14-pound Target Weight.
Meyer is moving on to the Championship Round after an impressive showing, but even the best anglers need a little bit of luck sometimes.
“I pulled up to this pocket with about 10 minutes left and it was a no-wake zone,” Meyer recapped. “If it wasn’t a no-wake zone, I never would have even seen it. I’m glad I caught it because I was catching a fish every cast for 10 minutes on a spinnerbait and that’s how I went out.”
Chapman and Lee Exit Early in Period 2
With only three spots remaining in the Championship Round, it was up to the other eight anglers competing to duplicate Meyer’s success. Brent Chapman was more than halfway to the Target Weight after Period 1 with 7-2. Early in Period 2, the Kansas pro brought in five bass for 7-11 in just a 6-minute span to push him past the Target Weight. Chapman focused on using a spinnerbait around flooded, green bushes to catch his final five bass.
Jordan Lee had a little longer way to go before he hit 14 pounds. Lee ended Period 1 in seventh place with only 4-14 and was left scratching his head. The Alabama pro rigged up a Berkley General to try to get something going and looked to be in the right spot at the right time with the right bait.
Seven scorable bass for 9-10 in less than an hour propelled the Berkley pro into the Championship Round with 15-8.
Not Much Drama for Martens
No doubt Aaron Martens was feeling the pressure with only one spot left in the Top 4. However, with nearly a 4-pound cushion on fifth-place Stephen Browning entering Period 3, Martens only needed one more scorable bass to move on to the Championship Round.
The Alabama angler pulled in a 1-6 largemouth for his final fish of the day to push his total weight to 14-12.
Championship Round Set
Brent Chapman, Jason Christie, Brent Ehrler, Edwin Evers, Jordan Lee, Aaron Martens, Cody Meyer, and Mark Rose will compete to be the last man standing for the 2020 Patriot Cup Championship Round.
The eight pros bring us the Championship Round on Saturday, May 9 at 2 p.m. ET on the Outdoor Channel.