When bites are as hard to come by as they have been at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open No. 3 presented by Allstate on Lake Seminole, the leaderboard can change dramatically from one day to the next. That was painfully evident Friday for some of the anglers who were leading after Thursday’s opening round.
Elite Series pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., dropped from first to 10th place with a two-day total of 25-1.
“I can’t believe I still made the Top 12 cut,” Lane said. “I’m happy to be fishing tomorrow.”
Brandon McMillan of Clewiston, Fla., demonstrated that he is a young angler to be reckoned with. He brought in the heaviest five-bass pro limit today, 19 pounds, 10 ounces. McMillan’s two-day total of 39-8 puts him in first place with a cushion of nearly 7 pounds.
By making the Top 12 cut of anglers who will compete on Seminole for Saturday’s finale, McMillan has earned the top spot in the Bassmaster Southern Opens points race. Any Bassmaster Opens angler who finishes among the Top 5 in the standings qualifies for the Elite Series. That was McMillan’s goal for this season.
“I feel a little unbelievable at the moment,” McMillan said. “Things have gone right all year for me.”
Trevor Fitzgerald of Belleview, Fla., jumped from 13th place Thursday to second place Friday with a total weight of 32-10. The area he fished Thursday failed to produce a single bass on the second day. He left to fish new water and finally boated his first bass around noon. By 2 o’clock he had a five-bass limit that weighed 17-9. As are most of the other anglers who made the Top 12 cut, he is flippin’ soft plastic lures into thick grass beds.
The dream of winning the Seminole Open and qualifying for the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro is still alive for Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla. He failed to qualify for the Classic through the Elite Series. Tharp sits in third place with 30-7.
“I had saved some places and they paid off for me today,” Tharp said. “I have a few other places up my sleeve for tomorrow that have 7- and 8-pounders.”
To qualify for the Classic by winning a Bassmaster Open, you must fish all three tournaments in any of the three Bassmaster Open divisions. Tharp is just one of 15 Elite Series pros who did not qualify for the Classic that also could have earned a Classic berth by winning on Seminole. The only other angler on that list to make the Top 12 cut is Kelley Jaye of Dadeville, Ala. He is in seventh place with 27-6.
Bailey Boutries of Daphne, Ala., caught a three-bass co-angler limit on Thursday and Friday and leads the co-angler field with 18-7. On Saturday, the 16-year-old Boutries will compete to stay ahead of the other co-anglers who finished among the Top 12.
The proverbial match made in heaven must be Tim and Judy Reneau of Del Rio, Texas. Both of them will be fishing Saturday, as Tim sits in fifth place on the pro side with 29-5, while Judy is the seventh-place co-angler with 11-14.
Elite Series pro Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill., is the new big bass leader on the pro side with a largemouth weighing 8-12. If none of the Top 12 anglers who fish on Saturday catch a heavier bass, Morgenthaler will claim a $750 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass award.
Jay West of Canton, Ga., is the co-angler big bass leader with a 5-14 largemouth. If that bass holds up one more day, West will earn the $250 Bass Pro Shops Big Bass co-angler award.
Takeoff Saturday for the Top 12 pros and co-anglers will be from the Earle May Boat Basin at 7:30 a.m. ET. The weigh-in begins at 4:30 p.m. ET at Bass Pro Shops, 4059 Lagniappe Way, Tallahassee, FL 32317.
2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: Allstate
2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: A.R.E. Accessories, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, GoPro, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2015 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: Carhartt, Dick Cepek Tires & Wheels, Huk Performance Fishing, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, Old Milwaukee B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Costa Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.
