GALLERY: Team Smokey Mountain wins Costa Qualifier Elimination Match 1 by a pound

ROANOKE, W. Va. – A mere 1 pound, 3 ounces was the deciding factor in team Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff & Pouches winning Elimination Match 1 of the General Tire Team Series Costa Qualifier Presented by Toyota.

Although they caught three fewer bass than second-place team Knighten, Casey Ashley, Terry Scroggins and Jacob Wall won with quality over quantity. Their 11 bass weighing 32 pounds, 9 ounces topped team Knighten’s (John Murray, Brent Ehrler, and Brett Hite) 14 bass weighing 31-7.

Team Smokey Mountain and team Knighten will advance to the semifinals. Team Kubota (Jordan Lee, Timmy Horton, and Mark Davis) finished below the cut line with nine bass weighing 18-15. Six more teams will duke it out for four remaining spots in the Costa Qualifier semifinals.

The General Tire Team Series Costa Qualifier Presented by Toyota will air on Outdoor Channel as six, two-hour original episodes each Saturday from 2-4 p.m. EDT. The full television schedule can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com/tv-schedule.