Bill Lowen is right where he wants to be. The ultra-consistent angler known for being able to “twelve-pound you to death,” has a lead of 7 pounds, 14 ounces over his closest competitor after two days of competition at the FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River. While his weight went up from Day 1 to Day 2, the four anglers immediately behind him on the leaderboard now all saw declining dividends.
During the lone win of his lengthy Elite Series career, at Pickwick in 2021, Lowen never had a lead at day’s end at all until the scales were closed: He was 3rd after Day 1, 2nd after Day 2, and tied with Chad Pipkens at the top after Day 3. His final margin of victory was 2 pounds, 10 ounces.
But while it may seem like he has a fluffy cushion, this is Florida.
Of the six anglers who topped 20 pounds yesterday, Lowen was the only one who hit that mark again. None of the others had more than 13-9, and two had less than 10 pounds.
Leads come and leads go and scorecards get turned upside down on the regular.
In one of the most heartbreaking moments of competition in Elite Series history, at the 2008 Sunshine Showdown on the Harris Chain, Brian Snowden entered Day 4 with a lead of 9-12 over runner-up Mike McClelland.
Snowden worked relentlessly, and had the bites to win, but he did not land a fish and ended up coming in second by 5-2. That about epitomizes fishing in a Florida cold front. No matter how well prepared you are, few leads are safe. That’s even more true with two days left to jockey for position. While the weather should be more favorable tomorrow, and Lowen could still run away with it, expect to see some changes as things progress.
Here’s what I thought, saw, heard and speculated on a windy Day 2:
Consistency Counts – In addition to Lowen, a total of seven anglers have caught 15 pounds or more both days: Seth Feider (3rd, 37-7), Shane LeHew (4th, 35-7), Evan Kung (5th, 35-6), Caleb Kuphall (6th, 35-4), John Cox (7th, 35-2), Brock Mosley (9th, 34-3), and Jason Christie (17th, 31-14).
Card Shark – Brandon Card (10th, 33-9) has had a successful pro career, albeit one mostly under the radar. That’s because he’s demonstrated Lowen-like consistency, but has rarely made a charge for a major title. He’s competed in seven Bassmaster Classics but only finished in the Top 10 once – 2020 at Guntersville, when he finished 9th. Over the course of his 13 Elite Series seasons, he’s never finished higher than 22nd in the AOY race (he’s accomplished that twice) but has finished between 22nd and 42nd eight times. He’s been an Elite Series runner-up once, in 2016 at Texoma, when he finished 1-15 behind winner Greg Hackney. He’s closing in on a million dollars of B.A.S.S. winnings, yet most fans likely know him more for his health issues than for his fishing success. At some point, it just seems likely that he’ll break out with a signature performance.
Youthful Indiscretions – Trey McKinney (90th, 15-5) spent time in the penalty box this morning for a minor infraction that occurred yesterday, as did Shane LeHew (4th, 35-7). Over the offseason, much was made of McKinney’s need to cut out the unforced errors, including by McKinney himself, who was forthcoming about his first-year issues and his determination to resolve them. This was likely an honest mistake, but nevertheless at this point McKinney should know that eyes are upon him – those of his fellow competitors, the tournament officials, the fans and likely his sponsors as well. He needs to make a concerted effort to be consistently and unerringly on the right side of the line. Last year, when he was seemingly unstoppable on the water, it may have cost him the AOY title. This year, where through two days he’s struggled to be competitive, it could cost him critical checks, points, and a Classic berth.
What Are You Wearing? – Feeling the frigid morning temperatures and unable to find a pair of long underwear, Hunter Shryock (12th, 33-1) channeled his inner Nuke LaLoosh and put on his wife’s “Lululemons” under his clothing for warmth. The result? He added 19-10 to his Day 1 catch of 13-7 and jumped from 45th place to 12th. “I think I’m onto something,” he said. “I think I might wear them again tomorrow because they’re good luck.”
Fashion Statement of the Day – Chris Zaldain’s retro Bass Pro Shops hat.
Yesterday’s Leaders – Of the Top 10 anglers from Day 1, five remained in the top ten: Lowen (1st), Jay Przekurat (2nd) Seth Feider (3rd), Evan Kung (5th) and Brandon Card (10th).
Last Year’s Leaders – Of the ten anglers who finished at the top of the standings at the St. Johns last year, none are in the Top 10 right now, and only five made the cut. Jason Christie was 7th last year and is 17th now, the highest amongst that group.
Perfect Show-Don’t-Tell Sponsor Plug of the Day – Bill Lowen for his Seaguar TactX Braid, which survived an extended tussle with an important “tree-pounder” affixed to a stick.
Cut Weight Math – Yesterday, sophomore Kyle Patrick was the man just inside the bubble with an even 13 pounds. Depending on which formula you favor, that likely meant it would take 26 or 27 pounds to get inside the cut. In a sign of just how tough it was, the cut weight was 25-2, almost a pound under the 2X mark. Carl Jocumsen ended up on the right side of the line, while Mike Iaconelli was the first man outside with 24-15.
Gaining Weight, Making the Cut – Pat Schlapper added 19-1 to his day one limit of 7-12 and moved from 93rd to 42nd. Joey Cifuentes III was another big mover today, catching 9-7 more than his Day 1 weight (12-8 plus 21-15) to vault up from 56th to 8th. After a sophomore season in which he only got one regular season check, and had three finishes of 96th or worse, that has to be a huge boost. Alex Wetherell, Austin Felix and Cliford Pirch all caught at least 8 pounds more today than they did yesterday. Wetherell moved from 86th to 46th. Felix moved from 72nd to 28th. Pirch moved from 80th to 40th. Meanwhile, Chris Johnston was just outside of their club – he caught 7-15 more today than yesterday, bolstered by the day’s big fish, an 8-12 – and he moved from 67th to 26th.
Sophomore Slump – Last year’s high-achieving rookie class seems to have hit a reality check this week, as only three of them made the cut. Meanwhile, five of them are in 87th place or worse. Logan Parks is at the top right now, sitting in 16th, three places ahead of Robert Gee.
Holding Serve – Through two days, Evan Kung remains the top-ranked rookie, top-ranked Canadian and top-ranked international angler.
Drinking Problem – Which is a worse day to be a Busch Light: When Lee Livesay starts off in 2nd with 22-13, or when he stumbles with two fish and falls to 32nd?
Cover Your Ears — Rick Clunn on Lowen’s wife Jennifer, a known weigh-in screamer, around 2pm: “She may already be hoarse.” Alas, she must’ve preserved her vocal cords, because she could be easily heard over the Roku stream.
Cliff Pace – “Those are the five hardest fish I ever caught in my life.” In his return to the Elite Series, he caught limits that weighed 11 pounds and 11-11 and finished 66th.
Keith Combs – Explaining why his catch went up by over 9 pounds today, moving him up 28 spots: “I moved a little shallower. That makes no sense.”
Jacob Powroznik — “I think good things are getting ready to happen.” While his catch went down nearly a pound today, he slid into the cut in 43rd and will have a chance to move up tomorrow.
KJ Queen — “I got Gina on the bed. She’s a true Gina.” He finished the day in 41st place and will have another chance to tame her tomorrow.
