Stephens wins
by 12 pounds!
By David A.
Brown
BASS PRESS
RELEASE
 |
| Monster 32-12lb Day 1 limit key to win. (Photo: James Overstreet BASS) |
Despite
changing conditions, Ohio angler Whitney Stephens turned in an impressive catch
of five bass that weighed 24 pounds, 12 ounces in the final round of the 2019
Basspro.com Eastern Open at Harris Chain of Lakes. Added to his Friday weight
of 32-12, it helped Stephens to an impressive winning total of 57-8 in an event
that was shortened to two days by inclement weather.
The
full field fished both days.
The
shortened schedule amplified Stephens’ performance; specifically, Jesse Wiggins
won the 2017 Open event on the Harris Chain with a three-day total of 59-4 —
only 1-12 heavier than Stephens’ two-day total.
Returning
to the pattern that yielded his personal-best tournament limit on Day 1,
Stephens spent all of Day 2 targeting thick hydrilla beds in Lake Eustis.
Fishing in about 8 to 10 feet, he noted that the week’s colder weather worked
in his favor by predictably positioning big prespawn fish in the warmer refuges
of thicker grass patches.
Stephens
caught most of his fish by dragging a Zoom Magnum Trick Worm and a Speed Worm,
both Texas rigged on a 4/0 VMC hook. He ended his day by moving to a different
area and throwing a custom spinnerbait over the grass.
“I
had a 7- to 8-pound cull on my last stop,” Stephens said. “I had high teens and
I went to 24 on my last stop. It was just incredible.”
Stephens’
total gave him an impressive winning margin of 11-9. He made it look easy, but
the winner said closing the deal was no easy task.
“It
was a grind today,” he said. “You catch 24 pounds and you think it’s a lot, but
I struggled today. The difference was the weather. We had another cold night,
the water dropped a couple more degrees and the sun never came out.”
Bryan
Schmitt of Deale, Md., finished second with 45-15. After placing second on Day
1 with 27-10, his productivity slipped to 18-5 Saturday. Schmitt caught his
fish on 1/2- and 3/8-ounce prototype Hyabusa swim jigs. He alternated between
Missile Baits Twin Turbo and Shockwave trailers.
