Seminole Day 4 Coverage

Sheldon Collings is running the show

QUICK LINKS

FLW Live – click here 

Unofficial Leaderboard (last updated at 2:05 p.m. ET) – click here

Lake Tour – click here

Tournament Details – click here

Seminole By the Numbers – click here

Day 4 OTW Gallery – click here

Day 3 Marshal Gallery – click here

Day 3 Results – click here

 

2:05 p.m. – Closing down

Today was an electric day on FLW Live, and we certainly enjoyed it – we hope you all did as well. We’ve truly seen the highest and lowest moments a bass angler can experience in a day of fishing. From Sheldon Collings bagging a giant and shedding a few tears of joy to B-Lat battling through adversity, this is what the FLW Tour is all about.

According to our unofficial leaderboard (last updated at 2:05 p.m. ET), Collings has a slim lead over Braxton Setzer and Latimer. It’s essentially a three-angler race at this point, and a lot can happen in the next couple hours off-camera. Setzer and Collings have a little room to cull up and Latimer can truly make some waves if he manages to fill a limit.

Don’t miss the weigh-in at 4 p.m. ET on flwfishing.com. If you are in the Bainbridge, Ga., area, swing by Earle May Boat Basin to see the FLW Expo and watch us crown a Lake Seminole champion.

 

1:50 p.m. – B-Lat back to flipping

Brian Latimer just bailed on the bed-fishing game and is now back in the hydrilla. Unfortunately for B-Lat, he was greeted by a boat fishing in his area. He really needs to mentally reset and catch his final two keepers – easier said than done with $100,000 on the line.

 

1:20 p.m. – Setzer Back on the juice, B-Lat misses

Braxton has moved back to his money spot. Giving it a break could have helped it replenish some. We will keep a close eye on him.

Brian Latimer just had a bed fish hooked up, but then it spit the hook. He is still up in the shallows looking for another bedded one. You can start to feel the pressure mounting on him.

Terry Bolton has quietly had a very nice day. He just upgraded with a 4-pounder and is now sitting at close to 20 pounds and in 4th place, unofficially.

 

1:05 p.m. – Still 3 for Latimer

Brian Latimer needs to get two more keepers in the boat. He made a move up shallow to do a little sight fishing, but it hasn’t produced yet. It has to be a mentally draining game for Latimer, going hours between bites out on his grass clumps, but it may be the best way for him to win this thing. His patience was rewarded yesterday. He’s looking for more of the same today.

 

12:38 p.m. – Setzer is on the move

Braxton Setzer is leaving his primary juice in hopes of finding a kicker elsewhere. Remember, Braxton has no idea what Collings or Latimer have in their boats. He is purely making his decisions on instinct and his best judgement of what can get him the most weight possible. He could really go for a fish bigger than 5 pounds to put the heat on Collings.

 

12:10 p.m. – Collings is in charge

Talk about a kicker… Sheldon Collings caught his fifth fish and it’s at least 7 pounds. We currently have him in the lead, but again, these are unofficial weights. Right now, his smallest fish is a 2-pounder, and he needs to get rid of it to lock himself into a win. He estimates 17-18 pounds on the Live broadcast, but we’ve seen three fish so far that probably makes up that weight alone.

This is shaping up to be a three-horse race between Latimer, Setzer and Collings, and anything can happen. Collings is in the driver's seat, but B-Lat still has two spots left in his livewell and he is on quality fish. We can't sleep on Setzer, either, because one or two more kickers will have him back in the lead.

 

11:40 a.m. – B-Lat bounces back

Things are looking good for Brian Latimer. After sitting down and tying on a new hook, he bagged a Seminole beast. We’re estimating it to be 6 1/2 pounds, but it looks chunky enough to be even bigger. Right after that, B-Lat followed up with an estimated 4 1/2-pounder. He isn't weighing his fish on a scale, but in comparison to his fish from yesterday we think we’re close on the unofficial leaderboard. Two more grown ones and B-Lat will be hard to beat.

“I’m on the winning fish. I just have to get them in the boat.”

 

11:15 a.m. – Martin limits

Scott Martin bagged his fifth fish – a 3 1/2-pounder. We had the FLW Live drone filming when he caught it. If you missed it, you will be able to rewatch it go down on our YouTube and Facebook pages later today. The bedding area Scott is working has a dark, soft bottom. Since it is so dark, he says the best way to find them is just by seeing one move.

 

10:54 a.m. – Latimer loses big one, Scott Martin now on Live

Brian Latimer just lost a quality fish on FLW Live. You have to hand it to B-Lat; he doesn’t get too down on himself about losing fish. That positive mindset has led to some really good days this week, and hopefully it contributes to another one today.

We have a Live camera on Scott Martin now. He’s doing some bed-fishing with four in the box for about 10 pounds. The one he’s after is about 5 pounds, and he’s spending a decent amount of time trying to get her to bite.

Braxton Setzer continues to get fish in the boat, though none have been the giant he’s looking for to make a big cull. Still, every ounce counts on Championship Sunday.

 

10:38 a.m. – Martin, Setzer

Scott Martin is making his presence known on Championship Sunday. Unofficially, we have him all the way up in fifth place after bagging his fourth keeper of the day. We should have an FLW Live camera on him soon to see how he is catching them.

Braxton Setzer is still catching some fish, but none have helped his total weight. The area he is fishing seems to be more alive that it was in previous days. We have seen a bunch of fish busting, alligators swimming and coots buzzing around there. All of these signs point towards a bunch of bait in the area. This could help extend Braxton’s bite window into the afternoon.

 

10:00 a.m. – B-Lat’s keeper, Setzer keeps upgrading

We got a better look at B-Lat’s keeper and it looked more like a 3 1/2-pounder. He is still flipping and throwing around his “wacky snack” at hydrilla clumps on his sand flat in the Flint River.

Braxton Setzer just caught a fish that is at least a 4-pounder. When Braxton went for the scoop, the fish jumped and it looked like it was going to come off. Luckily she stayed pinned for him to get her in the net. Now, he is taking his time to make the right cull. Most of his fish are in the 4-pound range, so he needs to make sure he is careful when culling – every ounce matters on a day like today.

 

9:35 a.m. – Setzer keeps adding, Bolton with a big and Latimer is on the board

Braxton is still on his juice spot, but now he’s using a small swimbait instead of a worm. He’s made three culls within the last 15 minutes to bring his total up to nearly 18 pounds. He also lost a solid 4-pounder, which would have really helped him.

AOY points-leader Terry Bolton just sacked up a 4 1/2-pounder to put himself in the top five, unofficially. Just like yesterday, Bolton was using spinning tackle to bag the big one.

B-Lat is also on the board with a 2 1/2-pound fish. It’s not much, but it should help get the South Carolina pro rolling. After all, he spread out his fish throughout the entire day yesterday. No reason to panic yet.

 

9:10 a.m. – Setzer gets No. 4 and 5

They weren't the biggest, but Setzer bagged the fish he needed to fill a limit. His five fish weigh roughly 14 pounds. Setzer’s marshal reports that the cloud cover appears to be helping his bite.

Still no fish reports from Brian Latimer yet. Yesterday, he didn’t get a fish until later in the morning, and it’s looking like that might be the case again today. B-Lat is only getting a handful of bites a day, so he’ll need to capitalize on every opportunity he gets.

The only other reported catch we have so far is a little one from Terry Bolton. It seems like guys are either on them or they aren’t so far this morning. There hasn’t been any in-between.

 

8:42 – Collings gets a trio

Sheldon Collings just got things going in a big way on FLW Live. The young pro was pulling a 1/2-ounce vibrating jig through grass on his primary spot to put in a 6-, a 5- and a 2-pounder in the livewell in three casts.

 

8:25 a.m. – Setzer out to a good start

Braxton Setzer is coming in hot. He’s on his juice and he’s already pulled in a couple 4-plus-pound fish. Yesterday, Setzer made the most of his early-morning bite and put 24-8 in the boat throughout the day. If he wants to take this tournament, he’ll need some more like that one, but it's a great way to get going.

Brian Latimer is on his best (and only) spot, a superhighway for spawning bass moving up shallow. He’s fishing slow with no luck yet, but he got his fish (23 pounds) throughout the day yesterday without too many hot streaks. He’ll continue to be patient and just flip around until something changes.

 

7:45 a.m. – Championship Sunday is underway

The top 10 anglers have taken off. It’s officially time to start catching some fish. 

The morning bite has been so critical this week, especially for a large portion of the pros fishing today. There’s a good chance someone is going to make a massive move on the leaderboard within the first hour of this session.

Tournament leader Brian Latimer didn’t get that early-morning bite yesterday, due in part to the fog delay that halted takeoff for about an hour. He grinded it out in the same area all day with just a couple baits, and his patience was rewarded to the tune of 23 pounds, which he accrued throughout the day. If he has fish left in that area – and he believes he does, as it’s essentially a highway for bass moving up to spawn – he’s in great position to take home the trophy.

But Braxton Setzer was just as much of a big story on day three. He compiled 24 pounds, 8 ounces and led for most of the day. If his area replenishes with new fish overnight, Latimer is really going to have to catch them.

It’s a tight race right now, which is just how we like it on Championship Sunday. Be sure to tune in to FLW Live (live now) for all the action, and continue following along with our live blog throughout day.

 

CONDITIONS

Temperature at takeoff: 60 degrees

Forecast high: 83 degrees

Sky: Partly cloudy in the morning with more clouds rolling in throughout the day

Precipitation: 40 percent chance of rain

Wind: SSW 5-10 mph

 

TOURNAMENT DETAILS

Presented by Costa

Hosted by Bainbridge Convention & Visitors Bureau

Takeoff: 7:45 a.m. ET at Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin, 100 Boat Basin Circle, Bainbridge, Ga.

Weigh-in: 4 p.m. ET, Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin

FLW Expo: 2 p.m. ET through the end of weigh-in at Bainbridge Earle May Boat Basin

FLW Live: 7:40 a.m. ET through end of weigh-in