Taku Ito and Brett Preuett tied for 40th place after two days on Lake Guntersville with 21-8. The tiebreaker to decide who would fish in today’s top 40 and who would go home is heaviest bag over the previous two days. On Day 1, Ito had 11-4 and Preuett weighed 11-3. On Day 2, Preuett caught 10-5 and Ito weighed 10-4. So Ito’s 11-4 vs. Preuett’s 11-3 on Day 1 broke the tie.
One ounce – one little ol’ ounce – decided who would earn at least $10,000 and fish another day and who would go on to the next tournament with $7,500. One ounce was worth $2,500. Man, this can be a cruel sport. But not as cruel as it used to be on the Elite Series, where making the Day 2 cut was worth $10,000 and finishing 41st paid nothing.