2025 Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite on Lake Okeechobee Day 1: DiPalma Scored 29-12Lbs!

Canadians Gallant 7th, Chris Johnston 16th, Kung 38th, Gustafson 68th & Cory Johnston 77th

New Jersey's Greg DiPalma leads the Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Fla., with a weight of 29 pounds, 12 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS) 

BASS Press Release

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. —  Greg DiPalma of Millville, N.J., believes Lake Okeechobee may be one of the nation’s least-explored bass fisheries, but he did his best to change that by sacking up a limit of 29 pounds, 12 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at this Florida powerhouse.

 

Fishing an atypical area that he found during practice, DiPalma heads into Day 2 with a lead of 3-10 over Will Davis Jr.

 

“Me and Will were sitting side-by-side, which was pretty special,” DiPalma said. “There were four of us in one area and we all had (big) bags.

 

“It was an absolutely incredible day. To be leading one of these, to be honest with you, it’s about time! It feels good. It’s gonna feel really good if I can maintain it.”

 

As DiPalma explained, recent years have seen high water levels choke out much of the Lake Okeechobee vegetation that once created vast bass habitat. With the obvious targets heavily pressured, he knew he needed to find something unique.

 

“This is probably the most unlocked lake in the country, to be honest with you, because everybody beats the bank here and nobody really goes out in the lake and looks for anything,” DiPalma said. “I think there are key areas in this lake if you can find them, and that was one of them.

2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Okeechobee Day 2: Martin Maintains Lead!

David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

CLEWISTON, Fla. — Slowing down and methodically fishing his areas, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Scott Martin maintained his lead on Day 2 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Lake Okeechobee presented by SEVIIN with a catch of 25 pounds, 13 ounces.

Added to his massive Day 1 catch of 33-2, Martin has a two-day total of 58-15 — good for a lead of 7-13 over Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala., who is holding down second place with 51-2.

Martin, who grew up in Clewiston and guided out of his family’s marina, which is hosting the event, raved about the opportunity to shine in front of so many familiar faces.

“It’s a blessing to be standing here in front of my hometown crowd, my whole family and friends,” Martin said. “I grew up right here and watched my dad (nine-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Roland Martin) win a Bassmaster tournament here and that was kind of the defining moment for me. I practiced with him and he gave me credit onstage for helping him. That’s when I thought to myself, ‘I might be able to do this."

“To be able to win this thing, I have a lot of work ahead of me. But this lake has been good to me.”
Martin returned to the general area that produced his Day 1 mega bag, but he worked several different spots. Throwing a mix of reaction baits and pitching-style baits, Martin said a measured pace was essential for producing his bites.
“Like I said yesterday, patience was the key,” he said. “I was just taking it one fish at a time.

2023 Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain Day 1: Cody Huff Scores Lead!

Canadians Cory Johnston 18th, Chris Johnston 26th, Gallant 56th & Gustafson 70th

Cody Huff of Ava, Mo., is leading after Day 1 of the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain with 23 pounds, 3 ounces.  (Photo Seigo Saito/BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Cody Huff knew he had options, but the second-year pro from Ava, Mo., stuck with his strength and sacked up 23 pounds, 3 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain.

 

Anchoring his bag with a 5-pound smallmouth, Huff leveraged his renowned forward-facing sonar skills to hunt down sizable bass in Champlain’s Inland Sea region.

 

“I would rather go out and use my electronics and spend my whole day throwing at fish, instead of just running the bank and casting,” Huff said. “I had an awesome day, but I didn’t expect that. I knew I was on some good ones, but whenever I got around, they got to biting.

 

“It’s kinda crazy here because there are so many fish, you don’t know if you’re going to catch a 3-pounder or a 5-pounder. They’re just all mixed together, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun.”

 

Huff said he worked an area of approximately one square mile with depths of 20 to 50 feet. The key, he said, was covering water and continuously hunting fish that were following bait schools.

 

“They’re really just moving a lot. They’re never on a waypoint,” Huff said. “They’re in an area swimming.”

 

Huff said his action started early and he was able to put himself in a good position within an hour of takeoff.

 

“I had 20 pounds by 8 o’clock and then I just picked off a few big ones throughout the day,” he said. “I caught a lot of bass and had a lot of fun.

2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Smith Lake Day 1: Kerry Milner Leads with 18lbs!

Canadians Luzak 11th & Sim 61st

ROB NEWELL TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT

Big limit of spots vaults Milner to top. 
(Photo: MLF)

If you’ve become weary of hearing about forward-facing sonar dominating tournaments over the last year or so, then Kerry Milner of Fisher, Arkansas is your breath of fresh air.

Today, Milner weighed in 18 pounds of spotted bass to take the Day 1 lead in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers event on Smith Lake.

When asked if forward-facing sonar played a role in his catch, he confirmed that he didn’t have any on his boat.

“The way I’m fishing, I don’t think it would have been of much help anyway,” Milner says. “There are other guys fishing in the same areas, but I’m using a different technique; I could go in behind people today and catch fish after they left.”

Milner leads the event by just 5 ounces over Joseph Webster, but it’s the sheer numbers of 15-inch plus keeper bass Milner is catching that’s impressive. On the day, he estimates he caught between 15 to 20 keepers and noted that he caught more keepers than non-keepers.

“I have two places where they’re schooled up on herring,” Milner says. “At times, I can see the herring blown-up under the boat on regular 2D sonar. When I get the fish in the boat they are spitting up herring, too.”

Milner has fished Smith just two other times in his career, but experienced lackluster performances both times.

“We came here for another event and I got on this same pattern the first day of practice,” he says. “But that event was later in the year and, by tournament time, the schools broke up and headed to the bank to spawn. The water is colder this time around so I feel better about it holding up.”

TOP 10 BELOW

2019 BASS Northern Open James River Day 1: Bryan Schmitt Scores 20.04lbs!

Big bass vaults Schmitt to lead.

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Bryan Schmitt knows his way around tidal fisheries, but he welcomed a stroke of good fortune that delivered a five-bass limit of 20 pounds, 4 ounces giving him the Day 1 lead of the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on the James River.

Schmitt’s catch included a 6-10 largemouth that leads the Phoenix Boats Big Bass competition.

“I got one of those crazy, like pure-luck bites today,” the Maryland pro said. “This place has giants, but they’re not biting. I got one of those today and that made all the difference.”

With much of the field running to the Chickahominy River (a fertile James River tributary), Schmitt spent his day in the James. He fished a lot of water but targeted the same habitat scenario.

Terry Bolton Wins 2019 FLW Tour on Lake San Rayburn Day with 91-03lbs!

Canadian Charles Sim finishes 10th! 

by Justin Onslow

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Bolton hangs on for win crankingup 91-03lbs with Rapala DTs.
(Photo: FLW)

Terry Bolton’s professional fishing career almost ended before he finally had his moment. The moment every tournament angler dreams of. The moment decades in the making, so close so many times, yet still so far out of reach.

Today, Bolton finally grabbed hold of that moment, and he didn’t let go.

With a 17-pound, 6-ounce bag on day four of the FLW Tour opener on Sam Rayburn, which was presented by Polaris, the 24-year Tour veteran did something he’s been within ounces of doing so many times before: He won. He won his first Tour event, and he did it despite a handful of tremendous anglers — including standout rookie Nick LeBrun and the best angler on the planet, Bryan Thrift — breathing down his neck in a furious effort to outpace the Benton, Ky., pro.

Bolton bagged 33 pounds and 9 ounces on day two of the event, which set the wheels in motion for everything that followed. He added 19-10 on day three to retain the lead, and his 17-pound bag today brought his winning total up to 91-3.

But for all the fish Bolton caught this week, there were two moments that truly stood out for the man who has earned more than $1.2 million in his FLW career.

On day two, Bolton pulled up to a spot at which he caught all 20 pounds and 10 ounces the day before. He made some casts, landed a lot of fish and got up to “27 or 28 pounds” before he decided to move. Almost.

TOP 10 BELOW

2019 FLW Tour Lake San Rayburn Day 2: Terry Bolton Crushes 33lb Limit and Grabs Lead!

Canadian Sim 11th and Richardson 110th

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Bolton blasts giant limit and takes lead with 54-03lbs!
(Photo: FLW) 

Countless giants lie beneath the swollen and detritus-strewn waters of Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Terry Bolton might be able to give an accurate count, though, seeing as he caught a bunch of them Friday.

After sacking up 20 pounds, 10 ounces on day one of the FLW Tour season opener presented by Polaris at Big Sam – good for 10th place entering Friday – the Benton, Ky., angler put together a megabag full of hawgs that totaled 33-9 and moved Bolton to the top of the leaderboard with all the momentum he could want heading into the weekend.

One could point to technique, preparation and skill as the reasons for Bolton’s success on Rayburn, and all would be valid reasons. Yet, what’s happening for Bolton at the weigh-in stage is all about what’s happening between his ears on the water.

“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do [on Saturday]: I’m going to do the same thing I’ve done the last two days,” he quips. “I’m going to get up, put my clothes on, go fishing, and I’m going to enjoy myself because that’s all this year is about is me having fun.”

Bolton kicked around retiring after the last Tour season, during which he says he didn’t have as much fun as he should have. Rayburn tends to be a cure-all for that when it’s fishing as hot as it is right now.

“When you catch 33 pounds, that helps you have fun,” Bolton adds.

The veteran pro says he caught some of his fish on day one on a spinnerbait, but overcast conditions today ignited a crankbait bite, and he did most of his damage with a Rapala DT14 or DT16 in his hand. Bolton caught fish throughout the day but really pounded on them during an early afternoon flurry that culminated with him culling 5 1/2-pounders.

Surprisingly enough, Bolton’s massive stringer wasn’t his largest bag ever. In 2008, during the FLW Series East-West Fish-Off, Bolton sacked up 38-15 at Falcon Lake. Still, you won’t catch him complaining. Quite the opposite, actually.

Nick LeBrun – 48-4 (19-2 day two)

Louisiana native Nick LeBrun put up a big showing at Rayburn on day one, totaling 29 pounds, 2 ounces for the outright lead heading into Friday. Bolton might have eclipsed LeBrun both on the leaderboard and in the big-bag rankings, but second place on cut day isn’t too shabby, especially considering it could have been much worse.

LeBrun had 12 pounds at 1 o’clock. His spots seemed to dry up a bit, which he attributes in part to fishing pressure in that area of the lake. After a tremendous day one, it was starting to look like all of LeBrun’s momentum was about to push him headlong into a brick wall.

Instead, the Tour rookie reached into his bag of tricks and decided to fish a spot he’d been saving for a rough stretch. It paid off in a big way, aided by a 5-pounder that buoyed his day-two weight into the high-teens.

2018 Bassmaster Elite Mississippi River Day 3: Randall Tharp Leads by Ounces!

High water moving bass
By Thomas Allen

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Tharp's adjustments nets him narrow lead.
(Photo: BASS)

Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., scrapped his fish catching game plan because floodwaters washed out his primary hot spot and forced him to find a place to catch bass on the upper Mississippi River.
 
That adjustment might earn him a second Bassmaster Elite Series title and a healthy $100,000 payday.
 
Tharp’s efforts produced 15 pounds, 10 ounces of bass today, giving him the lead going into Championship Sunday at the 2018 Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River presented by Go RVing.
 
His two-day total is 49-12 — only 1 ounce ahead of Aaron Martens of Leeds, Ala.
 
Martens will start the final round Sunday in second place with 49-11.
 
The moderate flooding of the Upper Mississippi has been a hot topic in La Crosse this week. It’s affected the fishing for most of the field — some good and some bad. For Tharp, it’s kept him on his toes.
 
“I knew my pattern was falling apart. The more the water levels increased, the more concerned I’ve been that my bass would move,” he said. “And they did. I started out in the same area I have been over the past couple of days, and after an hour or so I knew the fish weren’t there any more. I decided to call an audible, and it paid off.”
 
The 49-year-old pro said that he was catching bass right along a section of the bank that is now under water, and the bass are no longer positioned on the same structure.
 

2018 FLW Tour Lewis Smith Day 1: David Williams Leads with 18-11lbs!

Chris Johnston 39th, Gustafson 40th, Cory Johnston 85th & Richardson 131th

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Williams leads by 2 pounds.
(Photo: FLW)

One species or the other – that’s how the last two FLW Tour events have shaped up, and it may go down that way again here at Lewis Smith.

At Lanier, the top pros were divided into either the largemouth camp or the spotted bass camp. At Cumberland, it was smallmouth versus largemouth. Now at the FLW Tour presented by T-H Marine on Lewis Smith, it’s back to largemouth or spots, with largemouths taking the early edge thanks to David Williams.

The Maiden, N.C., pro sacked up 18 pounds, 11 ounces of largemouths to take nearly a 3-pound lead over Blake Smith.

Now, it’s worth noting that Williams caught his fair share of spotted bass on day one, though, they were all “babies.” In fact, may pros’ bags were mixed, but it’s clear they’re typically targeting one or the other.

Williams is a shallow-water, largemouth guy at heart, and he did his heart right today.

“Today went just like I’d dreamed it,” Williams says. “I culled a few times and was basically done fishing by 10:30 a.m. I actually gave my rod to my co-angler so he could catch some.”

Top 10 Below

2018 Costa FLW Series on Lake Okeechobee Day 1: Tucker Leads with 21 Pounds!

Cold dirty water floods Big O

by Rob Newell

There’s an old theory about Florida-strain largemouth bass that suggests if they have spawned and eggs are in the nest, the fish will stay to protect them no matter how severe a passing cold front might be.

Tucker grabs big lead on cold first day.
(Photo: FLW)

Terry Tucker tested that theory on Lake Okeechobee today and found that it held true, providing him with the day-one lead in the Costa FLW Series event presented by Power-Pole. His five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces was helped by three 6- to 7-pound females he found in practice when the water was still warm and the full moon was nearing.

“That’s something I’ve learned about these Florida bass over the years: If they have spawned, they’ll hang in there with their beds even if the water temperature drops like it did today,” Tucker says. “It’s unlikely new ones will move in, but the ones that committed before the front will stay.”

Tucker found the area that produced the three big ones on Saturday when he hooked an 8-pounder and shook off several other bites. He knew the fish had moved in to spawn and was confident they would stay despite one of the worst cold fronts Okeechobee has endured in the last several years. While other anglers lost a lot of their productive areas due to incoming muddy water, Tucker’s area stayed protected from mud.

“The water color did not change,” says the Alabama pro. “In fact, it was already a little stained when I found the area initially. Today I pulled in there, and it had that same color to it. I caught those three big ones and left. After that I went to some other places to catch two more to finish my limit.”

2017 BASS Elite Lake Dardanelle Day 1: Kevin Van Dam Leads with 19-03lbs!

Past success a mixed blessing for KVD
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Bass-fishing superstar Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich., is in an early position to win a record-breaking 24th Bassmaster title. After weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces, the four-time Classic champion is leading the GoPro Bassmaster Elite at Dardanelle presented by Econo Lodge.
With $100,000 and valuable Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points on the line, VanDam fully understands what's at stake. But even the seasoned veteran was surprised at today's results.
"I've had mixed results on Dardanelle. I got second to Mark Menendez in 2009, and had a terrible tournament in 2014," VanDam said. "But I know the bass in this lake move around a lot, which makes staying consistent difficult sometimes. I'm actually very pleasantly surprised with my weight today, and the rest of the field did better than I had expected."

Van Dam at home on Dardanelle. (Photo: BASS)

The seven-time Angler of the Year caught his limit early, but made a substantial upgrade later in the day that nicely augmented his five-bass limit.
"I caught two big fish that really helped," he said. "I learned some things today, but on Dardanelle you can't always bet on a pattern holding — you have to stay flexible. I don't believe the forecasted storms will have much impact on how and where I'm fishing, but duplicating today's weight would surprise me again."

2017 Walmart FLW Mississippi River Day 2: Andy Morgan Leads with 31-4lbs!

Gustafson 102th, Chris Johnston 104th, Cory Johnston 105th,  and Richardson 141st.
by Rob Newell 
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Morgan takes lead as river keeps rolling. (Photo: FLW)

A river is a river.
That’s the simple philosophy Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn. used to capture the lead on day two of the FLW Tour presented by Evinrude on the Mississippi River.
Morgan cut his angling teeth fishing the “pools” along the Tennessee River – pools with names like Chickamauga, Nickajack and Guntersville. Though he’s never fished this part of the Mississippi River, in his mind pools 7, 8 and 9 are not much different than the “pools” he fishes back home in Tennessee.
Friday he relied on his river-reading skills to sack up 14 pounds, 9 ounces of bass, giving him a two-day total of 31 pounds, 4 ounces.

“A river is a river,” Morgan says. “They rise. They fall. They have a main channel. They have backwaters. These pools up here are somewhat like little tiny versions of the lakes on the Tennessee River.”
TOP 1O BELOW

2017 Walmart FLW Mississippi River Day 1: Matthew Stefan Leads with 18 Pounds!

Chris Johnston 32nd, Cory Johnston 92th, Gustafson 100th and Richardson 159th
by Rob Newell 
FLW PRESS RELEASE

Muddy, rising water has been the bane of the FLW Tour recently. After a rising-water event at Lake Cumberland, then a mega rising-water event at Beaver Lake, the pros once again find themselves in a familiar predicament at the FLW Tour presented by Evinrude on the Mississippi.

Local Stefan grabs lead on rising river. (Photo: FLW)

After a warm, sunny practice where bass were moving up by the droves to spawn, a cold front dumped plenty of rain in the river basin Wednesday. For FLW Tour pros, it was like déjà vu all over again. And with many Tour pros having very little prior experience on the Mighty Mississippi, things can get even more confusing.
But even just a little experience on the river goes a long way, as day one tournament leader Matthew Stefan of Junction City, Wis., demonstrated Thursday.
Stefan took the early lead with five smallmouths weighing 18 pounds even.
“I am by no means a river stud over here on these pools, but I do fish here about five days a year,” says Stefan, who lives about two hours away from La Crosse. “I’ve never fished here in May, but on this place, just knowing how to get around in these backwaters and how to gauge barge traffic for locking is a big help. So, comparatively speaking, I probably do have a little bit of an advantage on guys who have never seen this place before this week.”
Stefan sampled pools 8 and 9 for his catch Thursday. He weighed in all smallmouths, a rarity for day one limits.
TOP 10 BELOW

2016 BASS Elite Toledo Bend Day 2: KVD Leads with 50lbs.

KVD steady as leader board flip flops.
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE
The biggest thing Kevin VanDam has caught so far this week has been himself.

But there could be far bigger catches ahead of him if he remains on his current path at the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend.

KVD works his magic with a 10XD. (Photo: BASS)

VanDam had to have a treble hook removed from his hand during Friday’s second round after landing his biggest fish of the day. But it didn’t stop him from catching five bass that weighed 20 pounds, 11 ounces and helped him hold onto the tournament lead with a two-day total of 50-0.

“The fish had just one hook in its mouth, and those Mustad treble hooks are really sharp,” VanDam said. “The fish kind of shook as I was trying to take the hook out, and it jerked one of those trebles right in my hand. I had a crankbait with one hook connected to my hand and the other connected to a big bass.”

2016 BASS Elite Toledo Bend Day 1: KVD Smashes Them + Big Bass

Top 5 anglers have 10 Bassmaster Classic victories between them
By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Kevin VanDam wanted badly to fish offshore during the three-day practice period for the A.R.E. Truck Caps Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend. But a steady 20-mph wind just wouldn’t allow it.

The winds died Thursday as the tournament began, and fishing fans in central Louisiana got to see why VanDam was so anxious to move away from the banks.

KVD on his game off-shore. (Photo BASS)

The pro fishing superstar from Kalamazoo, Mich., brought in a five-bass limit that weighed 29 pounds, 5 ounces to top the leaderboard on a day when 12 anglers caught at least 20 pounds. He leads a star-studded Top 5 that includes 69-year-old Missouri legend Rick Clunn (24-10), North Carolina pro Hank Cherry, Jr. (24- 7), 2012 GEICO Bassmaster Classic winner Chris Lane (23-14) and reigning Classic champion Edwin Evers (22-11).

“I started on the shallow pattern and caught a good limit early, and that gave me the confidence to go and fish deep,” said VanDam, who has four Classic titles on his resume. “I didn’t get to fish deep in practice the way I like to because of all the wind. So I fished a lot of places today that I hadn’t fished at all this week.

2015 Bassmaster Elite Chesapeake Bay Day 1: Aaron Martens Lands Lead with 17lbs.

Flooding flakes out almost all anglers.

By Bryan Brasher

bass press release

NORTH EAST, Md. — Some fishermen like to play it safe when they’re leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race late in the season.

 

Martens distances himself from Rojas for AOY!
(Photo: BASS)

They focus on getting a good limit, drawing a paycheck and earning valuable AOY points. But Aaron Martens seems to be taking a different approach during this week’s Huk Performance Fishing Bassmaster Elite at Chesapeake Bay.

 

The Alabama angler, who came into the event with a slim 11-point lead in the AOY standings, caught 17 pounds, 8 ounces of bass Thursday and claimed the Day 1 lead in a tournament that is shaping up to be a tough one down the stretch. Michigan angler Chad Pipkens is second in the tournament standings with 16-14, and Japanese pro Morizo Shimizu is third with 16-9.

 

“I had seven keeper bites, and I broke two of them off,” said Martens, who increased his AOY lead over Dean Rojas to 52 points. “My bites were spread out all day. I wish I could catch them faster. But no matter how fast or slow you move, it’s going to be a bite about every hour and a half.”

 

2015 BASSfest at Kentucky Lake Day 1: Ott DeFoe Lands Lead and Seven Pounder!

Big up-grade vaults Ott into lead.

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS RELEASE

PARIS, Tenn. — Ott DeFoe admits he entered Wednesday’s opening round of the Zippo Bassmaster BASSfest at Kentucky Lake presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps feeling confident bordering on cocky.
But as excited as he was, he wasn’t expecting this.
DeFoe brought five bass to the scales that weighed 26 pounds, 7 ounces and claimed the Day 1 lead by more than a pound over South Carolina angler Andy Montgomery, who was second with 25-4.
Oklahoma pro Edwin Evers was third with 24-0, and Michigan superstar Kevin VanDam was fourth with 23-9 on a day when it took 20-4 just to make the Top 25.

Ott lucky to lead as pack is tight. (Photo: BASS)

“I had expectations, but I didn’t really think 26 pounds was where it was going to end up,” said DeFoe, who lives 4 1/2 hours away in Knoxville, Tenn. “I don’t want to say I was cocky, but I felt like I was going to have a pretty good day if I got on the place I wanted to fish – and if the fish stayed, which apparently they did.”
Like many in the 124-angler field, DeFoe caught most of his best fish before 10 a.m. and then went into “fish-management” mode.
Instead of pounding his best areas and potentially wasting fish that could help him later in the week, he backed away and went looking for new hot spots.
He was surprised when one of the new places he found actually produced his best fish — a 7-5 largemouth that ranked as the second-largest fish caught during the opening round.
“I’m not going to say I was killing time, because I was still fishing,” DeFoe said. “But I was kind of waiting on time to go by until it was time to come in. I got one bite there, and it was a 7 1/4-pounder.”