Huge flip flop of the leader board!
By Thomas Allen
BASS PRESS RELEASE
In dramatic Bassmaster fashion, a new leader took the helm during the second round of the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet.
The fishing slowed down overall on the second day, but a staggering 52 limits exceeding 20 pounds on Day 1 will be hard to top. However, 34 limits were caught Friday that surpassed the 20-pound mark.
Thanks to a five-bass limit of smallmouth bass that tipped the scales at 25 pounds, 13 ounces, Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., took charge going into Saturday’s semifinal round. ester’s two-day total is 50-1.
The 107-angler field has been cut to the Top 50, and the 30-year-old Lester is looking to claim the $100,000 first-place prize money and notch his first Bassmaster Elite Series title with two days to go.
“Today was a lot of fun, and I'm super thankful for the big bass I was able to bring to the scales,” he said. “But it was a tougher bite. I caught a lot more little bass, which tells me there aren’t as many dominant, big smallmouth bass on each spot as there were yesterday.”
While still confident, Lester expects the weights to continue to decrease — a regular occurrence during multi-day bass tournaments.
“It’s no secret that almost everybody is catching bass on a dropshot, but I’m doing something a little bit differently with my presentation, which seems to be getting more attention from the larger bass,” Lester said. “My plan won’t change much, and I’m confident the right fish are still using the spots I’m focusing on.
In dramatic Bassmaster fashion, a new leader took the helm during the second round of the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet.
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| Lester keeping consistent key to lead. (Photo: BASS) |
Thanks to a five-bass limit of smallmouth bass that tipped the scales at 25 pounds, 13 ounces, Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., took charge going into Saturday’s semifinal round. ester’s two-day total is 50-1.
The 107-angler field has been cut to the Top 50, and the 30-year-old Lester is looking to claim the $100,000 first-place prize money and notch his first Bassmaster Elite Series title with two days to go.
“Today was a lot of fun, and I'm super thankful for the big bass I was able to bring to the scales,” he said. “But it was a tougher bite. I caught a lot more little bass, which tells me there aren’t as many dominant, big smallmouth bass on each spot as there were yesterday.”
While still confident, Lester expects the weights to continue to decrease — a regular occurrence during multi-day bass tournaments.
“It’s no secret that almost everybody is catching bass on a dropshot, but I’m doing something a little bit differently with my presentation, which seems to be getting more attention from the larger bass,” Lester said. “My plan won’t change much, and I’m confident the right fish are still using the spots I’m focusing on.
"I’m excited to get back out there and hopefully catch another 20 pounds or more tomorrow.”
