LA CROSSE, Wis. — So much is at stake for so many Elite Series anglers today it’s hard to know where to start. But let’s start with this: Unless you experienced a melt down on Day 1, you’ve still got a chance in the Plano Bassmaster Elite at the Mississippi River presented by Favorite Fishing.
That’s because of two things primarily: 1) Less than five pounds separates first place (17 pounds, 10 ounces) from 45th place (12-12), and 2) just over four pounds separates 30th place (13-5) from 90th place (9-3).
In other words, almost everybody is still in this thing on a day that will end with the field being cut to the top 50. Leader Casey Ashley had the big bass of Day 1, and it was “only” 4 pounds, 7 ounces. As Angler of the Year points leader Gerald Swindle said before this tournament began, “A 4 ½- to 5-pounder is like gold.”
Any angler who strikes gold today will zoom up the standings. Of the 107 anglers in the field, 88 officially caught five-bass limits. That doesn’t include Mike McClelland, who had his limit disqualified when he mistakenly culled a bass in Minnesota waters.
The average bass weighed-in was 2.52 pounds. Only the top 10 anglers managed to catch a limit that averaged 3 pounds or better. Randall Tharp is in 10th place with 15-2. Justin Lucas is in 11th place with 14-15.
There’s a logjam of 35 anglers separated by less than two pounds between 20th place – Keith Combs and Clent Davis with 14-0 – and 54th place – Brandon Coulter with 12-1.
And all this occurs when everyone in the field is trying to finish in the top 50 of the AOY standings so they’ll live to fish another tournament – the AOY Championship at Minnesota’s Mille Lacs Lake next week.
Todd Faircloth couldn’t have been more prophetic when he said before the tournament began, ““It’s a game of ounces here. Twelve pounds a day here might or might not make the (two-day, top 50) cut. Then you might have a guy catch 13 pounds a day and he’s in the top 20.”
“If you can figure out something to boost your quality just a little bit, that’s always the key here. There will be a lot of real tight weights. You catch a 3- or 4-pounder and you’re way ahead of the game.”
A 3- or 4-pounder today might be the difference in a GEICO Bassmaster Classic berth, an AOY top 50 finish, or, for some of these guys, whether they re-qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series next year.