Chris Zaldain headed up the lake to fish for largemouths early, and that decision has already paid off in a big way.
He missed a bite on a swimbait, switched to a small jig and on the first cast hooked up with what turned out to be a 3-pounder.
That’s huge in a tough tournament like this. It jumped Zaldain into the early lead with a total of 40 pounds, 1 ounce, according to Basstrakk.
Of course, that’s just 6 ounces ahead of Day 3 leader Kyle Monti.