Indications are that the catch, in terms of weight, is somewhat down from yesterday. That applies to just about everyone but Seth Feider.
Whether that’s a product of the weather, or the better fish getting cherry-picked on Day 1, is anyone’s guess. And there will be a lot of guesses from anglers as well as pundits. Some Marshals are reporting that the harder it rains, the more the fish bite, which actually might be the case. But the size of those catches seems to be smaller, and that’s a big deal on this fishery.
There are tons of fish in this part of the Mississippi River. But, as has been indicated several times on Bassmaster Live, it appears as if they are out the same mold — cookie cutter fish that don’t move the weight needle. On a day like this, with a lot of fish coming aboard, you have to believe at some point that a big, weighty bass with some extra weight on it will show up — and more than once.
When it does, a fish like that could be even more critical than at any other time in this event — possibly the season — for some. Currently, there is just a 2-pound difference between 15th and 30th. That disparity of 2 pounds per 15 places carries out down the standings, and in somes places the gap gets wider.
A 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-pounder could make or break any number of anglers’ dreams at this point. And you have to believe that a catch like that will happen.
There’s just a few hours left in the day, and at some point, some big changes could take place in varying parts of the standings based on just a few catches. So while the overall weight could actually fall off, the big difference for so many of these guys fighting for a title, or a chance at an AOY Championship or Classic berth, will likely hinge on one better than average fish — and who catches it.
