VIEWER’S GUIDE: Strong Winds Shrink Area for Elimination Round 2
After an exciting Elimination Round 1 in the Bass Pro Shops Heritage Cup Presented by Berkley, 10 new anglers head out on Henderson Bay on Lake Ontario for Elimination Round 2. Casey Ashley, Dustin Connell, Edwin Evers, Alton Jones, Andy Morgan, Takahiro Omori, Brandon Palaniuk, Keith Poche, Mark Rose and Randall Tharp will try to be one of the Top 6 anglers at the end of the round for the right to move on to the Sudden Death Rounds.
Smaller Area Due to Weather
It was a bright and sunny day on Henderson Bay outside of Syracuse, New York when Elimination Round 2 started. However, due to winds gusting upwards of 20 mph, MLF officials decided to shrink the fishing area from Elimination Round 1 to keep the anglers out of the open water. The 10 pros will have over 11,500 surface acres and 22 miles of shoreline to work with in their round.
We saw Fred Roumbanis dominate Elimination Round 1 with an offshore smallmouth clinic and expect other anglers to try the same thing. With high water levels, some anglers may try to work shallow near the shoreline vegetation for a few largemouth. Still, expect the majority of the pros to look for schools of football-sized smallmouth on offshore rock formations.
Anglers to Watch
The biggest name in the field of 10 anglers is probably Edwin Evers. When the Heritage Cup was held back in late July of 2019, Evers was less than a month away from capping off one of the most impressive seasons in professional bass fishing history with a REDCREST Championship win. Watch for Evers to try to keep his hot streak going in Syracuse.
Brandon Palaniuk has some very important history on Henderson Bay. The Idaho angler won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Ontario back in 2013. Palaniuk made over a 90-mile trek across Lake Ontario just to get to Henderson Bay where he collected a four-day total of 88 pounds, 12 ounces to win.
Andy Morgan is another angler in this group that won a 2019 Bass Pro Tour Stage. Just three months removed from his Stage Four championship on Lake Chickamauga, Morgan is another pro with a good shot at adding a Heritage Cup to his mantle.
What’s at Stake & How to Watch
The anglers will fish for three periods on Henderson Bay to try and catch enough weight to be one of the Top 6 pros moving on to the Sudden Death Rounds. The four who are unable to make it into the Top 6 will head home with nothing.
The 10 competing anglers bring us Elimination Round 2 on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. ET on Outdoor Channel.
Each new episode of MLF Cup events will be available on MyOutdoorTV two days after premiering on Outdoor Channel.