Burghoff Rolls Ahead on Day 2 at Lake Okeechobee
In classic Florida fashion, day two of the 13 Fishing Stop 1 of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers saw a lot of shuffling on the leaderboard. However, Miles Burghoff didn’t have to shuffle much to move up from second to first. Weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces, Burghoff totaled up 42-15 to take the lead.
Overall, it was a more challenging day of fishing, even though it was another beautiful day in Florida. The number 20-pound bags, the gold standard in tournament bass fishing, dropped from 11 yesterday to just three today. No angler was able to do it two days in a row.
Yesterday’s 26-2 bag put Burghoff solidly in second place and he backed it up with a bag that was nearly ten pounds less, but enough to push him into the lead.
Today’s lighter catch was the result of tougher fishing in the area that he is sharing with several competitors, including Bill McDonald and Anthony Gagliardi, who are both also in the Top 10.
“It all changed today, and the pressure in my area was incredibly strong,” says Burghoff. “There were 25 boats in the area and all day long, I was within a pitch or two from at least one other boat.”
With so much company, Burghoff tried to find something fresh and target things other anglers may have overlooked.
“I had to switch it up to get bites,” he says. “It was still flipping and pitching, but I was looking for places others weren’t hitting, or finding little stretches with fewer people fishing.”
Tomorrow he plans to join the crowd again and believes there are enough fish to get another solid bag.
“There are still some big females around in there and I am going out with the same plan in the morning,” says Burghoff. “I’m sticking with that area until I’m told otherwise by the fish.”
Top 10 Pros
1. Miles Burghoff – 42 – 15 (10)
2. Skeet Reese – 39 – 05 (10)
3. Jim Neece Jr. – 38 – 09 (10)
4. Dicky Newberry – 38 – 00 (10)
5. Bill McDonald – 37 – 08 (10)
6. Anthony Gagliardi – 37 – 06 (10)
7. Pete Ponds – 36 – 12 (10)
8. Justin Lucas – 36 – 07 (10)
9. Chris Lane – 35 – 08 (10)
10. Kurt Mitchell – 35 – 03 (10)