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Lester Sorting Through Peanuts to Find Elephants
Team Toyota’s Brandon Lester isn’t having problems catching bass at the DeWALT Bassmaster Elite Series on lake Eufaula. In fact, he caught a highly respectable 19-pound limit yesterday to end Day 1 in 21st place.
Fact is, the easy-going resident of Fayetteville, TN with the beautiful beard tends to catch ‘em everywhere he goes. He’s made the last three Bassmaster Classics in a row, and cashes a check in nearly 70% of the B.A.S.S. events he enters.
Lester’s struggle at Eufaula is having to sort through a ton of peanut-sized bass to connect with the 5-pounders you have to catch to move way up the leaderboard.
“I think I caught 43 fish yesterday to end up with the 19 pounds I brought to the scales, and at one point I know I caught 15 little ones in a row before I caught that 5-pounder,” said a slightly perplexed Lester just before Day 2 began.
He and his wife Kim, and their two daughters are staying at a friend’s home about 30 minutes from launch in the town of Baker Hill, and you can bet he spent most of his morning commute to the ramp thinking about how to make the big ones bite Thursday.
“Typically, not always, but typically, the biggest fish in a school will bite a moving bait like a crankbait or a swimbait first, versus a jig or worm. So I’ll definitely keep winding this crankbait a ton,” says Lester.
He’s certainly not short on schools to wind his plug through. He spent roughly 38 hours practicing in three days, and only fished 2 of those 38 hours. The rest of the time was spent riding around looking at his sonar screens and marking schools of bass with waypoints.
“I’ve never fished Eufaula prior to this week, but it fishes really similar to the Tennessee River impoundments I feel at home on like Guntersville, so I’ll just keep cranking until I run into a big one,” says Lester.
“If I catch one of the 7 or 8 pounders that live here, I’ll be near the top of the leaderboard real quick,” he concludes.
Don’t bet against him. The top of the leaderboard is generally a pretty familiar place for Lester.
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Rose Wins $25,000; Reese Wins Group B to Skip Knockout:
June 10, 2020 (Kissimmee, Fla.) Major League Fishing (MLF) Pro Skeet Reese won the Qualifying Round, Group B on Kissimmee Chain in the inaugural Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo. Reese will advance directly to Friday’s Championship Round for a chance to win $200,000. General Tire Pro Mark Rose won $25,000 for this Round’s Heavy Hitters big bass bonus with a nine-pound, two-ounce catch from Monday, his first day of the competition for Group B. Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Mark Davis caught the most weight on Wednesday with 26 pounds, five ounces, which catapulted him into fourth place from 24th place after Day One. 20 anglers fell below the Elimination Line and will head home with their $4,000 consolation prizes, including local angler Bobby Lane. Each angler’s score resets to zero as the top 20 Pros top advance. Competition continues tomorrow when 38 Pros compete in the Knockout Round for one of eight remaining spots in Friday’s Championship Round.
MLF Pro Mark Davis kisses one of the 12 fish he caught Wednesday, which enabled him to advance Thursday’s Knockout Round.. Photo: Major League Fishing / Garrick Dixon
Reese rocked Period one with seven scorable fish in the first two hours for nearly 20 pounds. He continued his Day-One strategy of using a crankbait in the creek mouth to one mile off the main lake, where he leveraged the current flow for much of the day. The General Tire pro finished with a two-day total of 20 scorable bass and a cumulative weight of 67 pounds, one ounce. With the confidence of a significant lead after the first Period, the General Tire Pro did use Periods two and three to explore new areas rather than racking up SCORETRACKER®.
“The first period was perfect; everything was clicking, the bite was on,” recalled Reese. “I was pulling away from the field. I was pretty pumped! My lead gave me the chance to relax and explore some areas I hadn’t tried yet.”
This Qualifying Round win is significant to Reese’s standings on the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Points race. The Auburn, California resident entered this event in 65th place in overall points, well below qualifying for REDCREST 2021 in Tulsa. Reese did not qualify for the inaugural REDCREST in August 2019 after a 62nd place finish overall last season.
“It’s been a tough two years of fishing, but my decision to get over that sand bar on Day One was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” remarked Reese. “I had a great run on Lake Fork during (Bass Pro Tour) Stage Three and that boosted my confidence to get back to my way of fishing. I did exactly what I wanted to do today and so hopefully I have a chance to win this thing on Friday. Stay tuned; let’s see what happens. I want one of those trophies!”
General Tire Pro Mark Rose held onto the Berkley Big Bass of the Group B Qualifying Round with the nine-pound, two-ounce largemouth he caught on Monday landing him a $25,000 bonus. Rose’s MLF Official, Dino Goode, awarded Rose his trophy at the end of the Round.
“Wow! Nice trophy,” exclaimed Rose. “What a blessing! Thank you, Lord for a big, old 9-2. I caught it on a Strike King worm. I was finessing a little bit just trying to catch a bunch of fish and I ended up catching a big one. Thank you, MLF.”
Rose finished in second place, 16 pounds behind Reese at 50 pounds, 12 ounces over two days. A slow day for most of the field, Rose picked up four bass throughout the day for a one-day weight of 12 pounds, three ounces. The Memphis-area resident will advance to the Knockout Round for a chance to win $50,000 for the Berkley Big Bass and/or one of eight spots remaining in Friday’s Championship.
Veteran angler Mark Davis rallied Wednesday to move from 24th place after the first day of Qualifying Round for Group B to finish in 4th place. The B&W Hitches Pro tallied the most scorable bass by landing 12 for 37 pounds, 11 ounces making his two-day total 44 pounds, 12 ounces. His offshore, crankbait strategy worked well for Davis all day long, which ironically was exactly what he had done in Day one will less fortune.
“Oddly enough, I caught those fish today on the same lure in the same water as I had fished on Monday,” said Davis. “Once I caught a few, I gained confidence and stuck it out.”
Local favorite, Bobby Lane, who calls the Kissimmee Chain home, fell below the elimination line in 21st place. The Pure Fishing Pro did not go down without a fight as he landed six scorable bass totaling 16 pounds, two ounces for the day and a two-day total of 23 pounds even, three pounds shy of advancing. His biggest fish of the day (three pounds, 14 ounces) came in the final minutes of regulation. Lane took the loss with grace and wished brother Chris Lane, who finished in 7th place, well as he advances into tomorrow’s Knockout Round.
“This is my home lake and it’s tough, but Chris made it and so I’m glad there’s a Lane in there,” said Lane at the end of Period 3. “I’m really glad to be back fishing (on the Bass Pro Tour). The adrenaline of catching that last one – that’s why I do this; it’s what I love.”
The Top Five, Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo Qualifying Round, Group B finished as follows:
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Lowen Stays Shallow, Takes Lead At Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Lake Eufaula
EUFAULA, Ala. — Conventional wisdom says a tournament held on Lake Eufaula during 90-degree weather in June should be won offshore on the ledges.
Bill Lowen, of Brookville, Ind., is leading after Day 1 of the 2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula with 23 pounds, 4 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
But Bill Lowen isn’t buying it. He never buys that anywhere B.A.S.S. takes him.
The Indiana pro who cut his teeth fishing the shallow waters of the Ohio River stayed near the shoreline during Wednesday’s opening round of the DEWALT Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula and grabbed the lead with five bass that weighed 23 pounds, 4 ounces.
The tournament, which marked a return to competition for the Elite Series after a three-month break due to COVID-19, was carried live on ESPN2 — and for Lowen, it couldn’t have set up any better.
“Today was just one of those awesome days when every decision I made worked out perfectly,” Lowen said. “I fished clean, didn’t lose any fish — and yes, it’s no secret I’m fishing shallow.
“I always like to fish in my comfort zone, and if I get out there in the middle of the lake, I’m not in my comfort zone. So, I’m gonna stay shallow the rest of the week.”
Despite Lake Eufaula’s glowing history as a big-bass factory, this is the first time the Elite Series has visited the 45,000-acre Chattahoochee River fishery that runs between the Alabama and Georgia borders. This is also the first time Lowen has fished a tournament on the lake.
Because of that, he said his electronics — especially his Humminbird LakeMaster cards — played a key role in helping him find specific pieces of shallow cover. Lowen is also one of four anglers on the Elite Series who runs an Xpress aluminum boat, which he says gives him better access to the 2- to 4-foot water he keyed on all day.
Since shallow fish sometimes don’t replenish like the ones that have plenty of space to roam in deep water, Lowen only made one good pass through the area that produced most of his bass. He said he intends to be right back there Thursday.
“I didn’t want to burn ‘em because I don’t know how many are there,” he said. “I don’t feel by any means that I burned the fish that were there. I just hope I can keep running that same pattern up and down the lake.”
Lowen said there are plenty of things that keep fish shallow this time of year, including the bluegill spawn — which is underway on Eufaula — and quick access to a creek channel. He also said he believes some bass call those shallow areas home year-round.
“I’m a firm believer that there’s always resident fish, or I call them ‘shallow fish,’ that don’t even know there’s a main lake out there,” he said. “I try to find those fish everywhere we go, and I was able to stumble across some here today.”
Lowen’s catch was one of 15 bags that topped the 20-pound mark on a sweltering Day 1. His closest competition came from Kyle Monti, a third-year Elite Series pro from Florida who brought in 22-15.
Knowing Eufaula’s reputation as a ledge fishery, Monti intended to spend most of his time offshore. But a series of early events ended up sending him to the shallows as well.
“I had three schools of fish marked,” Monti said. “But there were three boats that drew out in front of me, and every one of them went right to those schools. So, I went to another offshore spot and caught a keeper and lost one. Then everything just shut down for me.
“I picked up and went shallow at about 9:30 or 10. I caught one big one and then another, and that gave me confidence to stick with it the rest of the day.”
One angler who found success in slightly deeper water was Chris Zaldain. The California native, who now lives in Texas, got off to a fast start with a limit that included two 5-pounders and wound up in third place with 22-2.
“The research I did said you need 20 to 30 pounds to hang here, depending on the time of year,” Zaldain said. “So, for three whole days of practice, I spent eight or nine hours just idling around looking for offshore structure.”
Zaldain said even though he’s fishing offshore (15 to 20 feet deep), it’s not a typical ledge bite.
“It’s not like the heavy current and 90-degree drops you see on the Tennessee River,” he said. “You’re basically just looking for offshore structure, whether it be a rockpile, a brushpile, a shellbed or whatever.
“I got off to a great start and spent the rest of the day looking — to the point that I know tomorrow what to do in the middle of the day and what not to do.”
Kentucky pro Mike Huff took the lead in the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the week with a 6-12 largemouth.
Competition resumes Thursday with takeoff at 5:25 a.m. CST from Lakepoint State Park and the weigh-in back at the park at 2 p.m. After Thursday’s weigh-in, only the Top 40 anglers will advance to Friday’s semifinals.
Live coverage of the event will be available from 7-10 a.m. and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Bassmaster Live at Bassmaster.com with simulcasts on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Check local listings for ESPN2 times.
2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite At Lake Eufaula Title Sponsor: DEWALT
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Abu Garcia, Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Talon, Yamaha
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Carhartt, Garmin, HUK Performance Fishing, Mossy Oak Fishing, Rapala
2020 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partners: Huk, AFTCO
2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite At Lake Eufaula Local Host: Eufaula Barbour Chamber of Commerce
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 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, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic.
| 2020 DEWALT Bassmaster Elite at Lake Eufaula 6/10-6/13 Lake Eufaula, Eufaula AL. (PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1 |
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Matt Lee – Go Big or Go Home?
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The field is officially set for the Knockout Round of Toyota Heavy Hitters presented by Venmo here on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. Carhartt pro Matt Lee finished Group A’s Qualifying Round in 5th place and is one of thirty-eight anglers competing tomorrow. On top of the opportunity to move on to Friday’s Championship Round, someone in tomorrow’s field will win an incredible $50,000 for catching the big bass of the day.
The Heavy Hitters format includes unparalleled Big Bass Bonuses for every round of competition, but the $50K and $100K Big Bass Bonus tied to the Knockout and Championship Rounds respectively, has captured Lee’s attention.
“Knowing I can earn an extra $50,000 with a single cast is hard to even wrap my mind around,” Lee said with a laugh. “It’s amazing and it’ll absolutely be on every anglers’ mind tomorrow, especially as the day wears on and some guys get too far behind on the SCORETRACKER.”
But Lee wasn’t overly concerned with catching the big bass of the day as he readied tackle for the Knockout Round; instead he was focused on catching enough scoreable bass to continue fishing and have a shot at a Bass Pro Tour trophy on Friday.
“I’m in an interesting position,” Lee explained. “I found a unique area out on the middle of Lake Toho I’ve had all to myself this week. I’ve mostly been fishing a unique squarebill crankbait (6th Sense Crush Flat 75X Crankbait) and have been catching a lot of fish out there. I’m talking like 40 fish with 14 scoreable bass over two days, but I’ve yet to catch anything over four-pounds.
Cranking setup:
Quantum Tour S3 6:1:1 reel
7-foot medium Quantum crankbait rod
Flipping setup:
Quantum Smoke S3 8:1:1 reel
7-foot 6-inch Heavy Quantum Smoke S3 flipping stick “My back-up pattern has been flipping a 6th Sense Stroker Craw in thick vegetation, but it’s been way less consistent. I had zero bites flipping Sunday and only caught one on it Tuesday, but it was a 5-plus pounder. That’s been my biggest all week and I
know the opportunity to catch a giant is there.”
While there has been a plethora of big bass caught on the Kissimmee Chain this week, including multiple fish over 8-lbs, catching numbers of scoreable bass has proved difficult. It’s Florida and a big bite can happen to anyone at anytime, but concentrations of fish have been harder to come by.
The Big Bass Bonus provides an interesting new wrinkle for BPT competitors and fans alike. Does the allure of a chance at $50,000 persuade angler like Lee, whose primary area has yielded numbers of quality bass but no giants, to search for a big bite and risk going home?
“In my case… no,” Lee grinned. “My first goal is to make it to the Championship Round, so I have to start in my numbers area slinging around a crankbait and a dropshot. From there we’ll see what happens in the afternoon. If my primary area doesn’t pan out, you’ll probably see me running around the lake like I’m lost about lunchtime looking for a biggun.”
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Sumrall Says It’s Not All About the Deep Bite on Eufaula
Chris Zaldain is already hovering near the top of the leaderboard on Day 1, but he picked Caleb Sumrall as a guy fans should have their eye on here at the Lake Eufaula Bassmaster Elite Series presented by DEWALT.
Sumrall might seem like an odd pick given the fact he’s known for being a shallow water vegetation assassin from the bayous of Southern Louisiana, and this derby will surely be dominated by the deep post-spawn river ledge bite that Zaldain has already capitalized on today.
But if you believe in signs – then heed Zaldain’s advice – because the only thing that broke Sumrall’s mental focus on his shallow water game was spotting a very large gator floating in the takeoff harbor at Lakepoint State Park Marina.
“Oh my gosh, look at that thing, it’s gotta be 10-feet long!” said Sumrall in the midst of our interview minutes before Day 1’s competition began.
Suddenly, Sumrall seemed to feel right at home. The former petroleum supply yard worker who has spent most of his life running around the Atchafalaya Basin has seen his share of gators – and the size of this one impressed him.
The amount of shoreline vegetation at Lake Eufaula impresses him too. “I’m definitely confident around shallow vegetation. I’ve got 11 Kistler rods on the front deck, and 9 of ‘em are rigged for shallow vegetation,” said Sumrall.
“Look, I’m not ruling out the deep bite for a minute. I spent a ton of time the past two days marking waypoints out deep, so I for sure have that in my back pocket,” says Sumrall. “But I’ll probably spend 90% of my day fishing shallow with everything from buzzbaits to punch-weighted Texas rigs.”
Sumrall says he’ll lean on roughly 15 to 20 shallow water areas, and realizes he probably won’t be able to catch five fat keepers from a single spot. But he’s also highly confident he’ll have the chance to catch the sort of 5 to 7 pounders currently roaming the shallow water gator grass and water willow jungles while chewing on spawning bluegills around Eufaula’s shoreline.
“I absolutely believe the guy who wins this tournament Saturday will have to mix the deep bite with a few good fish from the shallows,” says Sumrall.
Sumrall has got plenty of deep-water waypoints, nine rods rigged for the shallows, and a feeling of being right at home here. So while Zaldain might currently be gunning for the lead himself, don’t ignore his advice to keep your eye on Sumrall too.
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