If you haven’t heard the story, Prince made a chuck-your-lunch type mistake on Day 1. He had a limit early, caught a 4-pounder. When he lifted the livewell lid to cull, he was horrified to see all five bass floating dead. Prince had hit the wrong aeration switch on his livewells earlier.
B.A.S.S. tournament rules forbid culling a dead bass. So Prince was done for the day at 9:30 a.m., and to add further insult, he had to release the 4-pounder he’d just caught. With a 4-ounce penalty for each dead bass – a total of 1 1/4 pounds – Prince finished in 95th place Thursday with 10-12.
Prince called tournament director Trip Weldon to see if it was within the rules for him to stay on the water Thursday and “practice” for Day 2, which was the case.
After weighing-in Thursday, a disappointed Prince managed to look on the bright side. Almost a full day of “practice” left him encouraged.