VIEWER’S GUIDE: Challenge Cup Sudden Death Round 1 Things to Watch
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – Three Elimination Rounds in the books means it is time for one of the most exciting rounds in bass fishing: Sudden Death.
Nine MLF pros are set to fish the Lead Hill area of Bull Shoals Lake with more than 8,800 acres to work. The first four pros to hit the SIG SAUER Target Weight of 25 pounds will be moving on to the Championship Round of the 2020 Lucas Oil Challenge Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches.
Flooded Conditions Continue
To catch 25 pounds of fish, the anglers will have to deal with an extra 25 feet of water on Bull Shoals. The nine remaining competitors experienced the flooded conditions during their Elimination Rounds, and were able to pick apart the submerged brush, trees and other vegetation that surrounds the Ozark lake.
Rain is in the forecast for the early part of the first Sudden Death Round, so the anglers must prepare for additional potential changes in water conditions.
New to Sudden Death
Four of the nine pros competing will experience their first-ever Sudden Death Round. Stephen Browning, Brett Hite, Jared Lintner and Jeff Sprague are all witnessing the high-stakes situations that come Sudden Death for the first time.
“Knowing where you have to get in terms of weight to move on is a blessing and a curse,” Lintner explained. “It’s good because you have a clear and concise target that you can set your sights on. It’s not so good because when you hear SCORETRACKER® going off and guys are catching them while you’re not, it can cause you to stress out and maybe make some moves you don’t need to so you can try and catch up.”
Sprague and Hite won their respective Elimination Rounds in their MLF Cup debut with little trouble. We’ll see if the two newcomers can continue their hot streak in the Natural State.
The Rest of the Field
MLF Cup veterans Brent Ehrler, Bobby Lane, Matt Lee, Dave Lefebre and Andy Montgomery round out the field for Sudden Death Round 1. Ehrler and Lane are the only two pros to have MLF Cup wins in the field. Lane took home the 2017 General Tire World Championship while Ehrler won the 2015 Summit Cup.
How and When to Watch
The nine competing anglers bring us Sudden Death Round 1 on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. ET on Outdoor Channel.
Each new episode of Major League Fishing is also available on MyOutdoorTV two days after premiering on Outdoor Channel.