Elite

Day 2 on the Mississippi

Follow along with the Elites as they take on the second day of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River!

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Photography by
Andy Crawford
We pulled into a flat south of La Crosse, WI, to find a group of Elite anglers working the grass-filled cove. Lee Livesay was running out as we motored in.
Bryan Schmitt also was moving on …
… but there was no shortage of targets for me to shoot, including Virginia’s John Crews.
Not far away was Jeff Gustafson, who was in fourth going into Day 2, and Austin Felix.
They were fishing so close together it looked like Gustafson was going to cast in Felix’s boat.
Crews was working a plastic frog over matted vegetation.
Gustafson, meanwhile, was pretty much sitting in one place and casting all around his boat.
Jake Whitaker, several casts away from Gustafson, was working the area with a vibrating jig.
Whitaker soon hooked up.
The largemouth bass wasn’t happy about the situation.
But Whitaker expertly battled the bass into the boat.
A quick trophy shot …
… and it was right back to work.
Australlia’s Carl Jocumsen even ran into the cove to try and get in some of the action.
Lee Livesay was at the far end of the grass flat Jocumsen began to work.
Gustafson continued to work the area with a soft-plastic jerkbait.
Felix moved off a bit …
… and hooked up.
He soon had the bass in hand.
The 2-pounder was added to his livewell.
Close by, Whitaker was setting the hook again.
He flipped this fish in the boat …
… and added a 2-pounder to his stringer.
Gustafson had slipped in the standings, according BASSTrakk, but he continued working to connect.

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