The pressure on the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year leader grows intense at this point in the season. After two days on the Mississippi River, Gerald Swindle has held serve, to use a tennis term, and more.
He entered this tournament with a 37-point lead on second place Keith Combs. Based on the Day 2 standings, that lead has increased to 41 points. Randall Tharp is third, 53 points back; Jacob Powroznik is fourth, 64 points behind; and Greg Hackney is fifth, 67 points out.
Swindle has been remarkably consistent over two very different days, weather-wise. He weighed 13-9 on Day 1 and 13-7 on Day 2 in compiling 27-0. That put him in 26th place, but only two pounds behind 12th-place Jared Lintner’s two-day total of 29-0. That’s where Swindle’s focus is today – making the 12 cut.
If he does that, he might clinch the AOY title prior to the championship event at Lake Mille Lacs next week. With only 50 anglers in the event, if Swindle ends this tournament with a 50-point lead, he’s the champ.
“I’ve put pressure on myself to perform on the water, but I’m not nearly as focused on the other stuff as people probably think I am,” Swindle said Friday. “I had simple goals this week. I wanted to make sure I got paid (with a top 50 finish), then I wanted to make the 12 cut. I’m more focused on making that 12 cut, actually, than anything else.”
Swindle was a bit frustrated Friday by his inability to find a 3-pounder or better because he caught a lot of fish.
“I probably caught 25 or 30 fish on a spinnerbait, 10 on a Chatterbait and 15 or 20 flipping,” Swindle said. “I had to change up. I haven’t been throwing a spinnerbait. I struggled a little bit this morning. Then I got a key bite, got dialed in and just caught ‘em and caught ‘em and caught ‘em.
“I probably didn’t burn three gallons of gas. I didn’t run around a lot.”
That’s been a key factor in Swindle’s success all year. He’s found a place or two in practice to settle in and pick apart once the tournament starts. The less gas he’s burned, the better he’s finished – all season long.