Alabama pro Randy Howell finished Day 2 in 44th place, making the cut to fish on Saturday. When I ran into him backstage after the weigh-inm he was about as excited as a guy who, well, just won the Classic.
Howell said he caught a 3-pound smallmouth just 10 minutes before check-in time.
"I though that gave me 11 pounds," he said.
And Howell figured he didn't make the cut. Turns out he was way off in his estimates. That last-minute bass gave him 13 pounds, 3 ounces and meant he did indeed make the cut. I remarked that fish was worth $10,000.
"I think that's the biggest surprise of my career," said the 2014 Classic winner.
Robin Howell had remarked earlier that Randy is rarely off on estimating his weights. "Those smallmouths will fool you!" said Randy.