When the top 13 anglers are separated by a mere 29 ounces, it’s no stretch to expect ounces rather than pounds to be the difference for today’s champion. That’s why leader Jacob Wheeler lamented the fact that a four-ounce dead fish penalty kept him from weighing an even 21 pounds yesterday.
Wheeler had one of only three dead bass that were weighed on the day. He wasn’t complaining about the penalty. Those things happen. He was just acknowledging the fact that it could ultimately be the difference in winning or not in this game of ounces on Lake Champlain.
Wheeler enters the day with a one-pound lead over second-place Seth Feider. But the next 12 places in the standings, from Feider to 13th-place Ott DeFoe, are separated by only 13 ounces. If there is a tie for first at the end of the day, there will be a fish-off afterwards to determine the champion, according to B.A.S.S. tournament director Trip Weldon.
“We’ve got lots of daylight to work with,” Weldon said.
The format is undetermined at this time. Tournament officials will set it based on the anglers.
“It’s a big lake, and we want to be fair to both anglers,” Weldon said.