KISSIMMEE, Fla. – If you were a script writer building a story about a bass tournament, you’d probably choose two brawlers as your two main characters, and send them into the championship day of the event with a handful of ounces separating them. You’d pencil them both in for 30-pound days (on different days, of course) and position the final day as a slugfest between two of the more successful anglers on the trails in recent years.
You just read the script for the final day of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division event on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
Alec Morrison held onto the lead after the second day on the Kissimmee Chain with 22 pounds, 10 ounces (pushing his two-day total to 53-13), but faces a hard charge by Brody Campbell, who threw down with 32-11 on Thursday to jump from seventh place to second with 53-7. Morrison will start the final day with a 10-ounce head start on his first MLF win since a BFL win on Lake Champlain in the summer of 2023, while Campbell will be in pursuit of a third Toyota Series win in two years.
Nine pounds separates Morrison and Campbell from the rest of the Top 10 (Chad Mrazek is third with 44-3).
On the co-angler side, Pete Herolt bagged 19-2 on Thursday to climb into the lead with 34-9, just 4 ounces ahead of Larry Mullikin with 34-5.
A tale of two days
Morrison – the 2024 Invitationals Angler of the Year and a two-time winner in 2023 – set the tone on Wednesday with 31-3, but ended the day believing that he had left a few pounds out on Lake Kissimmee. He felt the same after a 22-pound day on Thursday, where he hooked and lost a fish that he believed might have been a giant, and surrendered 2 1/2 pounds of his cushion on second place.
“I had six good bites today and got four of them to the boat,” Morrison said. “(The lead) looks good on paper, but it wasn’t a perfect day today. It’s not easy for any of us. I’m catching fish ‘Scoping, but it’s a different challenge when you’re working with the shortened time window (for FFS). It’s about making the right decisions, and it’s easy to be a little off on your decisions. I’ve just been running everything that I’ve seen big ones on.
“There is no ‘trying’ – you have to go to where you know bigger fish are and you have to fish for them. But it’s harder to be perfect this week, given how much the fish move around and change from day to day.”
Campbell has experienced similar in his two days on Kissimmee, but in reverse order. On Day 1, when he weighed in 20-8 and trailed Morrison by 10 pounds, the Ohio pro failed to execute on a handful of fish that he believes would’ve put him near the lead. He executed much better on Day 2, and heads into the final day knowing that both he and Morrison are probably both on the fish to win the tournament.
“I lost some key fish the first day, but (Thursday) was much better,” Campbell said. “I know I’m around some big ones, and will be around them again (Friday). I’m sure that Alec will be on them, too. I’ll have a good shot at a big bag, but it’s also a little bit about ‘Will they bite?’. Some of these fish are getting pretty smart because they’re pressured, and I have to do it within three hours (during his ‘Scope time). But I think I’m around the right fish.”
Trophy-winning success on the final day might come down to making the right small decisions throughout the day. Morrison will head out on Friday with the goal of making the right casts to the right fish and maximizing his forward-facing-sonar hours, but knowing that the right on-the-fly adjustments might make the difference.
“For the most part, it’s all about being as efficient as possible in three hours (during ‘Scope time),” Morrison said. “You really don’t have a lot of time to reconsider and try new things. I have an initial plan, but that could change depending on how things go on Spot 1. If things go well there, I might try to throw in some new things. I’m going to have to react quickly and pay attention to what’s going on around me. I’ve gotten the bites every day to win and not been perfect, but tomorrow is another opportunity to be perfect.”
Top 10 pros
- Alec Morrison – 53-13 (10)
- Brody Campbell – 53-7 (10)
- Chad Mrazek – 44-3 (10)
- Anderson Jones – 43-12 (10)
- Kyle Austin – 42-12 (10)
- Parker Mott – 40-11 (10)
- Garrett Rocamora – 39-4 (10)
- Doug Wooldridge – 38-9 (10)
- Bobby Bakewell – 38-4 (10)
- Kyle Cortiana – 37-14 (10)