Expect more of the same when the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee concludes today: 20-pounds-plus bags and multiple 7- to 9-pound fish. That’s been the norm the first three days.
There wasn’t another 30-pound bag weighed Saturday, when the field had been cut from 110 anglers to the top 51, but nine 20-pound bags were brought to the scales. And, most importantly, another 9-pounder took big bass daily honors. This time it was Andy Montgomery who caught the 9-0 largemouth. The presence of those big bass gives everyone chasing leader Timmy Horton some hope today. A 9-5 took big bass honors on Day 1, and a 9-3 was tops on Day 2.
Finally, last-minute heroics have been a constant as well. Horton had one Saturday.
“I had two minutes to go and I caught a 5-13, which culled out a 13-ounce bass I had been trying to get rid of all day,” he said. “I made it to check-in with one minute to spare. I’m so thankful I was able to catch that big fish late in the day. It gave me a much needed boost in confidence to start the final day, and that always helps.”
So did Cliff Prince, who started Sunday in third place, 9-2 back of Horton.
“I culled out a 13-incher with my last pitch of the day,” Prince said. “I told my marshal to have a seat, buckle his life jacket that we were about to head in. I pitched my jig out, saw my line jump and I set the hook into a bass that weighed about 7 pounds.”
While it may seem unlikely that anyone catches Timmy Horton today, that combination of big bass and late bites will probably everyone in the game until the end.