Ashley: 22 pounds is possible

In the four-tournament history of the Elite Series at La Crosse, no angler has broken the 20-pound mark. Seth Feider came closest to doing so in 2016 with 19 pounds, 5 ounces on Day 2.

However, that doesn’t mean 20 pounds is impossible. Casey Ashley’s bag of 18-4 yesterday is the heaviest limit weighed-in so far this week. Ashley thinks as much as 22 pounds is possible.

“These fish are so short and fat,” he said. “This is the healthiest bass population I think I’ve ever seen. If you catch one that’s on a four-pound frame, he’s going to weigh 4 1/2 pounds – at least.

With that caliber of fish, you could catch 22 pounds.

“This is the only place I’ve ever seen that largemouth don’t jump. They’re so fat and so healthy, they just dig and dig and dig and dig. The smallmouth will jump, but the largemouth will not. It’s opposite world. I enjoy it. This is a cool place to fish.”

Only six bags over 18 pounds have been caught in the four Elite Series tournaments on the Mississippi River at La Crosse: 1. Seth Feider, 19-5, 2016; 2. Casey Ashley, 18-4, 2018; 3. Brandon Palaniuk, 18-4, 2013; 4.Takahiro Omori, 18-4, 2016; 5. Ott Defoe, 18-2, 2018; 6. Jamie Horton, 18-4, 2012.