GROVE, Okla. – If you want some indication of how tough and volatile the fishing is on Grand Lake right now, you need only look at the leaderboard turnover. On Day 2 of the Toyota Series Championship Presented by Phoenix Boats, only four pros in the Top 10 from Day 1 managed to stay there, and the top two pros fell out of it entirely.
Moving up into the lead, Justin Luetkemeyer weighed 15 pounds, 5 ounces on Day 2 for a 29-13 total, while Roger Fitzpatrick moved into second with 15-2 to bring his total to 29-0. In third, Greg Bohannan tallied 29-5, and even Lee Livesay in 10th is within 2 pounds of the lead. So, if you’re looking for an exciting day of live fishing on MLFNOW! during Saturday’s final day, you’ve come to the right shop.
On the co-angler side, the race is just as tight or tighter. In first but tied by weight, Michael Luckey has 21-10 on nine fish. Technically in second, Glenn Hall also has 21-10 but on 10 fish. In third, Tommy Pritchard has tallied 21-5 through two days. It’s safe to say that both the pro and co-angler weigh-ins will be very dramatic.
Luetkemeyer makes a key adjustment on Day 2
The clear trend through two days is that it’s good to be from the Ozarks. While proficiency on Ozark waters was not a guarantee of success, seven of the top 15 pros are clearly at home in the region – and, by extension, at home wrangling bass around docks, rocks and all that Grand offers.
On Day 1, Luetkemeyer put together a solid bag on docks – exactly what you’d expect out of the young Lake of the Ozarks guide.
“I had a good practice. I wasn’t getting a lot of bites, but I was up here in the dirty water flipping, and I felt pretty good,” he said. “It was a grind, but I was catching bigger fish. Yesterday went well, and I don’t know what changed today. Either they weren’t there, or they weren’t biting.
“At 1:30 this afternoon, I had one 3-pounder and two 14-inchers,” he said. “We made a big run down to the dam, found some schooling fish and caught ‘em pretty quick.”
Luetkemeyer was fishing in college not long ago and actually finished eighth in the Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship on Grand in 2021, when the lake was partially iced over during practice and some teams broke out crappie jigs to catch the finicky bass. Now, he’s on the cusp of a $200,000 payday if he can make the right calls tomorrow.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” he said. “A few hours ago, I was all upset because I didn’t think I was going to come close to making a check. But that’s why we never give up and why I love bass fishing.”
As for the game plan, it sounds like Luetkemeyer is going to set the flipping jig aside, at least to start.
“I’m probably going to start down (the lake) and maybe work my way back and see how it goes,” he mused. “But I think I’m going to run to the clear water tomorrow.”
Fitzpatrick is in it to win it
While Luetkemeyer is 28 years old and at the end of only his second full season on the Toyota Series, Fitzpatrick is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to experience. The Fishing Clash Angler of the Year in the Plains Division, the veteran pro has fished about as much as possible regionally with MLF, including a whopping 31 events on Grand.
Finishing 18th in the recent BFL Regional on Grand, Fitzpatrick has been putting in the time for this event.
“I’ve spent a lot of time down here – we had the Regional here three weeks ago, and they were really biting,” he said. “I was catching them how I like to catch them, on a jig and on docks and stuff. But things have really changed. I came down right before the cutoff, and I still caught ‘em that way, but not as good. Practice was very, very slow. It wasn’t happening.”
Then, all of a sudden, there was a glimmer.
“The end of the day the last practice day, I just stumbled onto something and caught a big one,” he said. “And I caught another big one right after that. And I thought, ‘You know what, this is a championship.’ So, I kind of put my chips in on something completely opposite. I’m excited; it’s Power Fishing 101.”
While consistency has been devilishly hard for most to find, Fitzpatrick seems to have it figured out, at least for now.
“Both days, it’s been the same places, the same baits,” he said. “It’s not easy. It takes all day, and especially for the quality fish, it seems to get better in the afternoon.
“I’ve been here twice in November in different tournaments and really haven’t fared that well,” he added. “But I’ve done really well in September and October. The fishing seems to change when it gets this far along; it gets harder. But I’m doing something just a little bit different than the other contestants I’m seeing, and I think it’s paying off.”
Fitzpatrick is most well-known for being one of the best ever on Lake of the Ozarks, and he’s almost equally famous for his All-American performances, which are almost always great and never quite enough. This year, with his first Toyota Series AOY under his belt, winning the championship would be a fantastic way to end the season.
“If I could pull this one off, it would be the best year I’ve ever had,” he said. “This would be icing on the cake. I’m going to just go fishing. I know how hard it is, and I know I can’t get spun out because the morning isn’t very good. I’m excited to have a chance tomorrow.”
Bohannan in the mix again
In Toyota Series Championship events alone, Bohannan has banked $155,000 over the years – without winning. In this one, the Arkansas pro is ounces out of the lead and probably stands as good a chance as any to take it home on Day 3.
On Day 2, Bohannan had a low-stress day, as he was on the board early.
“I caught a quick limit, and I moved around and quit doing what I was doing and picked up a spinnerbait and started covering water,” he said. “I got one bite on it, and it was a 4-pounder. I didn’t have many bites past the morning, so I got lucky and caught a big ‘un. That 4-pounder carried me today.”
Going into Day 3, Bohanan has all the right skills for the lake, especially how it has fished the last few days.
“I feel ok. I caught two limits today; I’m going to try to do some stuff to catch bigger fish tomorrow,’ he said. “If I get five, or three or four early, I’m going to try to change and catch a couple big fish.”
Top 10 pros
1. Justin Luetkemeyer – 29 – 13 (10)
2. Roger Fitzpatrick – 29 – 10 (10)
3. Greg Bohannan – 29 – 05 (10)
4. Shane Long – 28 – 14 (10)
5. Travis Pitt – 28 – 11 (10)
6. Adam Boehle – 28 – 08 (10)
7. Hayden O’Barr – 28 – 04 (10)
8. Riley Harris – 28 – 03 (10)
9. Broderick Luckey – 28 – 00 (10)
10. Lee Livesay – 27 – 14 (10)
Two REDCREST tickets punched
After Day 2, two of the three REDCREST 2026 berths that will be handed out at this event were officially decided.
Luca Vittorio Della Ciana of Perugia, Italy, secured the MLF International Division title, earning a $10,000 bonus and a coveted spot in the championship field on Table Rock Lake. On the collegiate side, University of Montevallo’s Brody Robison clinched his own REDCREST qualification as the highest-finishing member of the College Fishing National Championship team. Both anglers will now advance to compete on the sport’s biggest stage at Table Rock next spring.