REDCREST 2019: Early-Season Heroics Set the Stage for Montgomery
Andy Montgomery had a great season on the Bass Pro Tour and made several late-day rallies and memorable fish catches. He was a fixture on the daily highlight reel and was responsible for some of the most exciting moments of the year.
At Stage Two on Lake Conroe, he landed a 9-pound, 6-ounce monster as time expired for the period. His unsuccessful first attempt to boat flip the big fish as his MLF official counted down the remaining time resulted in a video clip that was social media gold.
During Stage Six in Branson, he exploited the morning shad spawn for massive daily catches of 62-2, 83-4, and 77-14 on his way to a second-place finish.
Montgomery showed a flair for the dramatic all year long, and when all was said and done, he finished in 15th place for the year and easily qualified for REDCREST.
He credits the first event of the year for his successful season.
Stage One Heroics
When the Bass Pro Tour kicked off the season on Lake Toho, Montgomery found himself in dead last around lunchtime of the Elimination Round. He had finished his Shotgun Round in 39th place out of 40 with just one bass for 1-14. That all changed in the second half of the Elimination Round as he amassed 32-1 (mostly after 12 p.m.) and rallied to 17th place.
“I fished a place I had never seen before and got on the fish, and that comeback set the tone for the whole year,” Montgomery said. “If I didn’t have that finish, it would’ve started the season off on the wrong foot.”
He finished Stage One in 13th place and was brimming with a confidence that lasted all season long.
Mississippi River Mystery
Montgomery has visited La Crosse, Wisconsin on several occasions, but he’ll be the first person to admit that he hasn’t had much success there, despite it fitting perfectly with his preferred fishing style.
“It fits me because I love shallow power fishing and flipping grass, I’ve just never found the right areas there to do well,” he said.
His list of finishes include money finishes of 29th and 43rd, but also include a 68th and 93rd during Bassmaster Elite Series stops.
“I imagine that with our format, we’re going to see some huge weights here because there are so many bass there,” Montgomery predicted.
REDCREST Thoughts
Montgomery is grateful to be part of the first-ever REDCREST and hopes he’s the one to take home the title.
“Twenty years from now, I’ll be able to say I was there at the first one and that’s really cool,” he said. “Plus, to be brutally honest, I want to win that $300,000 prize.”