Rookie Kyle Monti of Okeechobee, Fla., has jumped to the top of the leaderboard with a limit weighing 17 pounds, 15 ounces, according to BASSTrakk. His five bass include three 4-pounders, and he’s got a 1 1/2-pounder to cull that would put him in the 20-pound range.
The fact that he’s done this in basically the first hour of the tournament is an example of what was hinted at Wednesday by several anglers: This could be the week that Grand Lake breaks out of its extended winter doldrums. More than one pro predicted it would take 20-pounds-plus per day to win this event. Monti has already proven that wasn’t idle talk.