KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Florida tournaments are often up and down affairs, with a lot of leaderboard change day-to-day. Take pro Joshua Weaver of Macon, Georgia, who sat in 13th place with 17 pounds, 7 ounces after Day 1 of Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 1 Presented by VOSKER on the Kissimmee Chain. On Day 2, Saturday, Weaver rocketed up into second, hammering out 28-5 for the big move. Pro Alex Bradley of Welford, South Carolina, moved even more – tallying 25-10, the young pro rolled from 75th to seventh. However, the man that mattered didn’t come off the pace at all – tournament leader Ryan Armstrong put 22-9 on the scale for a 52-5 total, which has him well clear of the competition.
Hunting down Armstrong, or attempting to, at any rate, Weaver sits in second with 45-12, and Mount Carmel, Illinois, pro Drew Gill is in third with 42-8. Tennessee’s Banks Shaw, in fourth, with 39-3, is more than 13 pounds off the pace set by the red-hot Armstrong.
Link to Photo of Day 2 Leader Ryan Armstrong
Link to Photo Gallery of Day 2 on-the-water Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights of Day 2 from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes
Picking apart shallow pads, basically one stem at a time, Armstrong has impressed through two days.
“It was slower, and they definitely bit a little different this morning, but it wound up working out,” he said. “This afternoon it definitely picked up. I could’ve caught more weight. It’s just a matter of trying to make the right decision whether or not you want to keep taking them out.”
Armstrong is notably fishing alone, something of a rarity in Florida, and he’s obviously reaping the benefits. Combing through pads and other shallow cover, he’s fishing very meticulously.
“It’s a combination of me being around the winning fish and maximizing every 5 feet that I go,” he explained. “I mean, whenever you’re around fish, why do you speed up?
“I’m moving 5 feet and fishing for 10 minutes and moving five feet and fishing 10 minutes, but the thing about it is there’s so many opportunities within that,” he added. “Every 5 feet I move up, it presents new angles, new holes, new ways I want try to attack that particular spot.”
Still, Armstrong isn’t fishing so slowly because his fish are sluggish.
“I need to be in the ballpark,” he said. “I don’t have to hit them on the head. Sometimes they bite it on the fall. Sometimes they bite it on the first hop, and I’ve even had a couple bite it swimming it out.”
The only remaining question is if Armstrong can do it again, and, the odds seem to be in his favor.
“I think I have fish left, no doubt about that,” Armstrong said. “But, it’s not a very big lead on this pond. So I, by no means, feel like it’s over, that’s for sure. But, I think that if I can put the bites in the boat, I won’t lose.”
Only the Top 30 competitors, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to Championship Sunday. The three-day tournament, hosted by Experience Kissimmee, features pro anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and valuable points to qualify for the 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Championship in September.
The Top 30 pros advancing to the final day of competition on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes are:
1st: Ryan Armstrong, Robinson, Ill., 10 bass, 52-5
2nd: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 45-12
3rd: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 10 bass, 42-8
4th: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 39-3
5th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 36-14
6th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 10 bass, 36-13
7th: Alex Bradley, Wellford, S.C., 10 bass, 36-11
8th: Jordan Wiggins, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 36-10
9th: Joseph Webster, Hamilton, Ala., 10 bass, 35-15
10th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 10 bass, 35-12
11th: Dustin Smith, Trussville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-11
12th: Kennie Steverson, Umatilla, Fla., 10 bass, 34-6
13th: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 34-6
14th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 34-5
15th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 10 bass, 33-12
16th: Bobby Bakewell, Orlando, Fla., 10 bass, 33-12
17th: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 32-5
18th: Blake Hall, Rogersville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-4
19th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 32-2
20th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 31-14
21st: Thomas Wooten, Huddleston, Va., 10 bass, 31-14
22nd: Jon Canada, Helena, Ala., 10 bass, 30-14
23rd: Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 10 bass, 30-14
24th: Cal Lane, Grant, Ala., 10 bass, 30-8
25th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 10 bass, 29-14
26th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 10 bass, 29-14
27th: Matt Baty, Bainbridge, Ga., 10 bass, 29-12
28th: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 10 bass, 29-8
29th: Hunter Mills, Mayfield, Ky., 10 bass, 29-1
30th: Andrew Nordbye, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 28-15
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Macon, Georgia, pro Joshua Weaver brought a bass weighing 9 pounds even to the scale to earn Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award.
Overall, there were 562 bass weighing 1,452 pounds 4 ounces caught by 117 pros Saturday. The catch included 106 five-bass limits.
In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field competed in the two-day opening round on Days 1 and 2 in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the Top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Presented by VOSKER will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight.
The final 30 anglers will launch at 7 a.m. ET Sunday from Big Toho Marina, located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee, Florida. Weigh-ins will be held at the marina and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
Television coverage of MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 1 at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Presented by VOSKER will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 4 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Bubba, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitationals updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.