Cabela’s/GEICO Angler Mike McClelland Gets Another Chance at BASSfest

PARIS, Tenn. (June 4) — Cabela’s/GEICO For Your Boat angler Mike McClelland finished outside the cut after the first two days at the Bassmaster BASSfest on Thursday on Kentucky Lake, but his tournament isn’t over.

Because of the unique BASSfest format, McClelland and the rest of the 74 anglers who missed the top-50 cut will participate in a second-chance tournament on Friday on Barclay Lake, adjoining Kentucky Lake. The top-10 finishers from that event rejoin the top 50 Saturday on Kentucky Lake.

“Live to fight another day,” McClelland said. “It’s not in the main event, but I have a second-chance grace.”

McClelland increased his bag Thursday, bringing in 12 pounds, 15 ounces, but his two-day total of 23-15 had him in 84th place.

“Weight-wise, it was a touch better, but as far as the day went, it was a grind,” McClelland said. “I literally only caught six keepers all day. Fortunately, two of them were big ones. I committed to fishing for big ones, but it just didn’t pan out that way.”

McClelland threw different large baits Thursday with some success, perhaps giving him a jump on the competition should he return to the main event Saturday.

“Fortunately, I had one big smallmouth,” McClelland said. “If I get the opportunity to make the top 10 out of the second-chance qualifier, at least I come back here with a little better weight than what I started with.”

But first McClelland will have to deal with Barclay Lake without any practice time.

“I’ve literally spent one day in my whole life on Barclay, and it was many years ago,” McClelland said. “I am going in completely blind, off the cuff, fish by the seat of my pants, but I’ve done well through the years fishing by the seat of my pants.

“Last year in this same event, I was able to re-qualify out of the second-chance qualifier. I feel like sometimes when you put the real pressure on me, it makes me perform a little bit better.”