BRANSON, Mo. – The race for the Elimination Line has begun as Group A begins to dissect Table Rock Lake for the first Elimination Round of the Bass Pro Tour Bad Boy Mowers Stage Seven Presented by Covercraft. While Jacob Wheeler, Shin Fukae and a handful of others in the Top 10 will likely spend most of their day looking for new spots for the Knockout Round, several anglers are in a battle for their spot above the Elimination Line.
8:05 p.m. CT – It is official, we have our Top 20 moving on to the Knockout Round.
7:25 p.m. CT – We just heard Bobby Lane say, “I’m getting to old for this.” The stress might be starting to get to Bobby as he sits in 21st place and just below the Elimination Line. One scoreable bass separates him from Randy Howell.
7:00 p.m. CT – Only one hour remains in Elimination Round 1 and Bobby Lane has returned to fishing the bluffs that gave him so much success in Stage Six. Lane started the day fishing offshore but was not having much success searching for schools of fish. He is now along some bluffs and is just 12 ounces outside of the Top 20. Andy Morgan holds the 20th and final spot.
6:25 p.m. CT – Jason Lambert is in 20th place currently but only leads Chris Lane and Keith Poche by less than 2 pounds. Jason Christie, Marty Robinson and Stepehen Browning are also well-within striking distance.
5:20 p.m. CT – Only one period remains in Elimination Round 1 and only the Top 20 will move on to the Knockout Round. Here is where we stand after five hours of fishing:
4:35 p.m. CT – We now have five anglers who have broken the 100-pound threshold. Jacob Wheeler, Shin Fukae, Adrian Avena, Cliff Pace and Cody Meyer have all hit triple digits for their two-day total weight and all are well above the Elimination Line.
3:55 p.m. CT – Keep an eye on Oklahoma pro James Elam. He began the day in 34th place after only 37-9 in his Shotgun Round. He already has 22 pounds for the day and has found his way up to 26th place and only 3-8 below the Elimination Line.
3:30 p.m. CT – While most of the pros are offshore drop-shotting, Ish Monroe is having success along the shoreline of Table Rock Lake. Monroe is into 21st place, just below the Elimination Line, after starting his day in 23rd.
3:00 p.m. CT – Surprise, surprise: Jordan Lee is the big mover of the day. He started the Elimination Round in 11th place but has added 35-11 to his total weight, giving him 94-8 and pushing him into fifth. Lee finished in 10th place during Stage Six on Table Rock the first time around, and it seems as though the later start to his day is not affecting him.
2:30 p.m. CT – Keith Poche is holding down the 20th and final spot in the Top 20. Randy Howell and Andy Morgan are both within 1 pound of catching Poche and putting themselves into the Top 20. It’s going to be a close one all day long because 17th to 30th place are only separated by 9 pounds.
1:32 p.m. CT – Shin Fukae is well known for his prowess with a spinning rod and finesse techniques. But today, he has a baitcast setup in his hand and he is catching them with what Rob Newell has described as a “small rattlebait” that he is vertically jigging offshore. With Shin, you never know what tricks he has left in his boat.
1:25 p.m. CT – Cliff Pace’s 134-13 record at Stage Six is in the past. After Wheeler’s massive start to Stage Seven on Friday, we knew it wouldn’t take long to set a new pace. He’s now at 140-12 for two days and it still in the first period today.