Justin Cooper Wins 2025 Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Power-Pole on Lake Conroe

Cooper conquers Conroe, earns first win in Championship Round thriller

Mitchell Forde

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release

CONROE, Texas — For about 3 hours and 40 minutes Sunday afternoon, Justin Cooper sat atop SCORETRACKER® at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Power-Pole. The Louisiana pro’s lead had been threatened repeatedly – including, at one point, Jacob Wall tying him in weight – but every time, he mustered an answer.

So, when Cooper boated a 1-pound, 10-ounce Lake Conroe largemouth with about a minute left before lines out, he thought he’d simply added a little insurance to his cushion. He didn’t realize the fish, one of the smallest of the 34 scorable bass he caught on the day, would be worth $150,000.

A few seconds earlier, Colby Miller – one of Cooper’s closest friends who’d been steadily gaining ground on him since the first period – landed a 2-10. That fish finally unseated Cooper, giving Miller a 9-ounce lead. All of 22 seconds later, Cooper’s 1-10 hit SCORETRACKER®. Another 68 seconds after that, time ran out on an epic first Championship Round of the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season. 

The final tallies: 78-5 for Cooper, 77-4 for Miller. Cooper had his first professional win.

“It’s indescribable,” Cooper said. “I never thought that I could win one. I’ve always been a bridesmaid and never a bride. I just never thought it was in the cards for me to win a big event like that. I thought I could have a good, solid career but always missed that part. So, to get that win and have my family here, it means everything.”

Here’s how the Top 10 anglers finished the Championship Round:

1. Justin Cooper – 78-5 (34)

2. Colby Miller – 77-4 (35)

3. Jacob Wall – 74-2 (32)

4. Alton Jones Jr. – 69-7 (26)

5. Jacob Wheeler – 63-11 (29)

6. Jake Lawrence – 60-10 (25)

7. Drew Gill – 58-9 (23)

8. Zack Birge – 46-15 (24)

9. Nick LeBrun – 40-3 (18)

10. Justin Lucas – 26-12 (12)

Clarke Wins 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Clarks Hill Reservoir presented by SEVIIN!

Arctic Blast Shorts First Opens of 2025!

Winter blast never hinders Clarke. (Photo: BASS)

By Christopher Decker

BASS Press Release

EVANS, Ga. — It didn’t result in many bites, but Chase Clarke perfectly executed a big-bass pattern to win the weather-shortened St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Clarks Hill Reservoir presented by SEVIIN with a two-day total of 47 pounds, 7 ounces.

The 2022 Auburn University graduate caught three 6-pound or better largemouth during the tournament, two on the first day that lifted him to a daily total of 25-14 and one on the second day that anchored his 21-9 Day 2 total. Those two bags propelled him over second-place Blaine Bunney by 6 pounds.

“I caught the right ones, but they were frustrating. They were so hard to catch,” the Virginia Beach pro said. “I figured I would only catch 10 or 11 bass a day, and I figured if I did that, I would have a good bag. Both days I happened to catch 6-pounders. I couldn’t have drawn it up any better.”

With the win, Clarke is the first angler to clinch their spot in the 2026 Bassmaster Classic, given he competes in the final three tournaments in Division I. Clarke was in contention to win an Open at Leech Lake last year, but fell short with a third-place finish.
As he drove to the boat ramp this morning, those same feelings he felt the final morning at Leech came flooding back to him.

2024 MLF B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Bass Pro Tour on Toledo Bend: Cornnell Grabs Lead of Group B

Connell cruises to Group B lead with 81-14 on Toledo Bend

Mitchell Forde 

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release 

MANY, La. – As if Dustin Connell didn’t have enough motivation when he took to the water for Group B’s first day of competition at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole on Toledo Bend — wanting to start the 2024 season strong, to get back in the Championship Round after making just one Top 10 last year — all he had to do was look at SCORETRACKER®.

Jacob Wheeler, who has roomed with Connell throughout their Bass Pro Tour careers, rocketed to the Day 1 lead in Group A when he landed 28 bass for 91 pounds on Tuesday. Though they wouldn’t compete head-to-head until the Knockout Round, Connell wanted to one-up his close friend.

He nearly pulled it off. Connell reeled in 27 bass totaling 81-14 on Wednesday, easily leading the 40 anglers in Group B. 

“I always try to beat Jacob,” Connell said. “It’s very hard to do. He’s on another level, and he motivates me to become better every day. It’s just cool to see me and him on top.”

Connell headlines a strong leaderboard after Group B’s first day of the Qualifying Round. He’s nearly 20 pounds clear of reigning Fishing Clash Angler of the Year Matt Becker, who sits in second. Two-time Bass Pro Tour winner Alton Jones Jr. lurks in third with 54-2, 7-10 behind Becker.

The full standings can be found here.

2024 MLF B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Bass Pro Tour on Toledo Bend: Wheeler Rockets to Lead of Group A

Mitchell Forde 

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release 

MANY, La. — The past three years on the Bass Pro Tour have been defined by Jacob Wheeler’s dominance. During that span, Wheeler has racked up 20 Championship Round appearances (in 27 total events) and four wins. He took home the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title in 2021 and 2022 before finishing second to Matt Becker a season ago.

When the 2024 season kicked off Tuesday, he wasted no time showing that his game remains as sharp as ever.

Less than 10 minutes into the first day of the Qualifying Round for Group A at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole, Wheeler boated a Toledo Bend giant. The 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth ignited a run that saw him put 28 bass for 91 pounds even on SCORETRACKER®. He leads Spencer Shuffield by 2-15 entering the group’s second day of qualifying.

Click here for FULL OFFICIAL RESULTS.

Wheeler’s pattern produces early and often

By the time Wheeler trailered his boat, other anglers had already peppered him with questions about the 8-pounder, asking whether he’d marked the fish during practice and run to his starting spot to find it. He insisted the giant caught him by surprise.

“I just happened to pull into a little area that I caught some fish (during practice), and my first bite just happened to be an 8-pounder,” Wheeler said. “So if that’s any telltale sign for how the year is going to go, I’m all about 8-pounders.”

Jessie Mizell Wins 2024 MLF Toyota Series events on Okeechobee

 

Jessie Mizell has now won back-to-back Toyota Series events on Okeechobee. Photo by Rob Matsuura. Angler: Jessie Mizell.

By Jody White

Toyota Series

CLEWISTON, Fla. – This week, Jessie Mizell was absolutely untouchable on his home pond. 

Weighing 24 pounds each of the first two days and finishing with 23 pounds, 13 ounces, Mizell totaled 72-9 to beat out Brody Campbell by nearly 3 pounds for the win in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division opener. Now with six MLF wins to his credit on Lake Okeechobee, Mizell has won over $90,000 in less than 12 months, as he also won last year’s Toyota Series event on the Big O. For this one, Mizell takes home another trophy for a rapidly growing collection, plus $44,000 and qualification to the Toyota Series Championship. 

Mizell started each tournament morning on the north side of Okeechobee, easing into a staging bay and going to work. His bite shut down before noon each day of the event, though, as anglers coming and going muddied up the water. When Mizell arrived Saturday, he had a small audience of Bassmaster Open pros starting practice, and he put on a show. 

“I got there first thing – it was a good thing I was boat No. 1 – and there were already a couple boats, BASS guys, in there,” he said. “But they just sat there and watched. I got my first, second, third, my biggest one. After that, there were boats going in and out, and they stirred it up. I didn’t get a bite after 11 o’clock; it got muddy and (the fish) shut down. But I was lucky enough to get my limit, and get those couple key fish. They were eating a frog like crazy – just absolutely destroying it.”

Top 10 Below 

2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Lake San Rayburn Day 1: Josh Bulter Scores Lead with 19-15lbs!

Rayburn stingy on cold start to new year.

By SEAN OSTRUSZKA

Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit 

Butler stings 19 pounds as most struggle on Rayburn.
(Photo: MLF) 

“I feel like I’m fishing at St. Clair.”

That’s not something one would expect to hear Michael Neal say on Day 1 of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Fuel Me on Sam Rayburn. Big tackle, giant fish and mega bags – that’s what anglers expect at Sam Rayburn.

Yet, there was Neal with a deck full of spinning rods and finesse techniques, plucking suspended fish from deep water. And he wasn’t alone. Because this week, it seems anglers should expect the unexpected at Guaranteed Rate Stop 1 Presented by Ark Fishing. That includes the leaders.

While 2021 Angler of the Year Neal is in the top five, the top three is comprised of sophomore Josh Butler and a pair of rookies, Jeff Bridges and Keith Carson. All three cracked more than 19 pounds, with Butler’s 19 pounds, 15 ounces setting the pace.

While solid weights for most fisheries, they’re quite modest for Rayburn, and all three admitted their results today were unexpected. Granted, for different reasons.

Neither Butler nor Carson had any tournament experience on Rayburn prior to this week, and their practices reflected that they said.

“I figured I could catch 12-13 pounds,” said Butler, who is fishing offshore. “I just so happened to catch two over 6. I knew I could catch a lot of 2-pounders. So, I’m not going to say I got lucky and caught those two big ones. I hope it’s not luck. I hope I can duplicate it, but I don’t know.”

Bryan New Wins 2020 Bassmaster Eastern Open Kissimmee Chain with 49-08lbs!

Chatterbait and Squarebill key to win

By David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

Knowing when to adjust proved essential for Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., who admits he employed a disjointed fishing regimen to win the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain with a three-day total weight of 49 pounds, 8 ounces, cementing a spot in the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.

“I’ve said it all week, I haven’t been dialed in to one thing, it was junk fishing at its best,” said New, who earned $52,500 and claimed the early lead in the race for the Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year award. “I’ve fished a lot in Florida and I’ve never been able to junk fish. But you have five lakes in this chain, and I junk fished three of them (Toho, Cypress and Kissimmee).”

New kept himself in the hunt from start to finish. He caught 21-0 on Day 1 to place second and backed that up with a Day 2 limit of 13-7 that put him in third. Catching the heaviest bag of Day 3 — a five-bass limit that weighed 15-1 — pushed him across the finish line with a winning margin of 4-6.

New spent part of Day 3 working the offshore hydrilla spot in Lake Toho where he caught part of his big Day 1 catch. The first day saw him locking down to Lake Kissimmee. But when that failed to produce anything significant for him, he decided to maximize his fishing time by spending the next two days in Toho.

The junk-fishing mentality came into play when he realized his offshore spot was not going to be enough. From there, he went shallow and bounced from spot to spot in an effort to establish consistency.

New caught his bass on a Texas-rigged green pumpkin magic Damiki Stinger, a 1/2-ounce green pumpkin Z-Man ChatterBait with a green pumpkin Zoom Speed Craw and a Greenfish Tackle G2 squarebill in High Rock shad. The latter, he said, proved to be his biggest producer.

2020 Bassmaster Eastern Open Kissimmee Chain Day 2: John Hunter Take Lead with 37-03lbs!

Pre-spawn bite the best 
By David A. Brown
BASS Press Release

Hunter on key spot that is refilling with pre-spawn bass.
(Photo: BASS)

Consistency was in John Hunter’s favor, as the Simpsonville, Ky., pro added 18 pounds, 13 ounces to the 18-6 he weighed on Wednesday to total 37-3 and take the Day 2 lead at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain.

Hunter attributed his success to one special spot he described as a thinner area within a large, dense grassbed in 6 to 7 feet. The spot produced his weight both days, but Hunter said the Day 2 mood was significantly different from that of Day 1.

“Yesterday, it was just average; I only caught a couple of good ones there in the morning and I went back later and caught a couple of good ones,” he said. “This morning, it was absolute chaos.

“My first two fish were 4 1/2-pounders and then I lost two 5-pounders right after that, which was heartbreaking. But they stayed fired up and I was able to catch the rest of my weight in the next 20 minutes.”

A mix of reaction baits and dragging-style baits produced Hunter’s catch, but the former carried most of the weight.

Noting that most of the fish he was catching in practice were prespawner bass, Hunter said Day 1 delivered a mix of prespawn fish and some that were thin for their size — likely postspawners. His Day 2 catch was mostly postspawners.

“That’s what I like about this spot — I have a chance of catching a fat prespawner coming in, and it’s a good stopping place for a postspawner to gang up,” he said. “This is a good place for them to set up, feel safe and feed before they go in and out (of the spawning flat)."

Hunter said he’s cautiously optimistic about returning to the magical spot on Day 3. He said he leaned on the spot hard today, but seeing it reload significantly from Day 1 was encouraging.

2020 Bassmaster Eastern Open Kissimmee Chain Day 1: Patrick Walters Leads with 21-08lbs!

Alexandre Jelev of Ontario leads co-angler
By David A. Brown
BASS Press Release

Big fish key during tough first day.
(Photo: BASS)

Fla. — Patrick Walters, a Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Summerville, S.C., had approximately eight hours on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, but he needed less than 20% of that to catch a five-bass limit of 21 pounds, 4 ounces that gave him the Day 1 lead at the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open.

Around 10:30 a.m., Walters found himself without a keeper. But once the show started, it happened quickly.

“I caught all my fish in an hour and a half, because after 12 o’clock, I didn’t catch another fish,” he said. “I started deep, bouncing around a lot. I found a bunch of fish offshore in practice because the shallow bite wasn’t really any good. They were dropping the water, it was a full moon — there was something holding those fish back a little bit.

“Yesterday afternoon, right before we came to the meeting, I found a couple more areas where it looked like the fish had pulled up on the bed. Today, when nothing was happening out deep, I ran shallow and it happened quick.”

With a 7-13 largemouth anchoring his limit, Walters said he was targeting spawning fish, but he was not sight fishing. Rather, he was making 15-yard fan casts to promising areas.

“It was on the outside a little bit, they weren’t way in there where you’d want them to be spawning,” he said. “They were a little further out on the first actual spawning cover. The water has been warming up 2 degrees every day; it was 77 today. They’re definitely making a push. I think they’ll make an even bigger push tomorrow.”

Walters took a unique approach, targeting his fish with a Tokyo rig — a setup that has a weight suspended from the eye of a hook. This allowed him to present a traditional soft plastic in a horizontal fashion and, most importantly, with strategic precision.

“I was dragging a Zoom Zlinky (stickworm) on the Tokyo rig with an 1/8-ounce weight,” he said. “I’d throw it in there and let it sit for 30 seconds.

“The Tokyo rig keeps the bait of the bottom about 2 1/2 inches. The best thing is that it will fall vertically, whereas, if you have the worm on a Texas rig, it glides. You’re casting at a hole that’s the size of a basketball. So if the bait glides, you’re already out of the spot. When the Tokyo rig lands, it goes straight down."

Bryan New of Belmont, N.C., is in second place with 21-0. Despite breaking the 20-pound mark, New described an exasperating day devoid of consistency.

Nick Thliveros Wins 2019 Costa FLW Series Southeastern Division on Lake Okeechobee with 46-01lbs!

Thliveros 2.0 first FLW win!

Kyle Wood

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Thliveros  Big O win a family affair.
(Photo: FLW)

Nick Thliveros earned the first win of his FLW career. He was a co-angler at the time, though getting that first trophy and check helped reinforce his desires to move to the front of the boat. In 2016, he committed to that dream, and now in his fourth year as a pro fishing the Costa FLW Series, Thliveros has a second win under his belt – this one from the front of the boat at the 2019 season opener for the Southeastern Division on Lake Okeechobee.

Heading into the final day of the tournament, which was presented by Power-Pole, Thliveros clung to what would normally be considered a small lead on Okeechobee – just 4 pounds, 7 ounces – and figured he needed to catch a solid bag to have a shot to win. In fact, most pros had high hopes for big weights on the final day. However, the fishing didn’t quite live up to the hype, and Thliveros’ 10-15 catch was more than enough to lock up the W and earn a check worth $54,000.

The key for Thliveros was to take advantage of the conditions the lake presented: cool, dirty and low water. He took his search outside the main body of the lake and settled on a canal area between Henry Creek and J&S.

“I wanted to find consistent water, and that area I caught them is where I caught them last year when the lake wasn’t normal [high and dirty from a hurricane],” Thliveros says. “I was catching prespawn fish that were waiting to pull up, and they were feeding. I was cranking rock, and all of my fish were within 5 feet of the bank.”

The canal system produced some good fish, but it was a key bite on day two that really gave him confidence to keep doing it.

“I was getting a reaction bite from a lot of fish,” continues the 25-year-old pro. “I’d feel them bump the bait or they’d be hooked on the back hook, and I didn’t feel like it was right. On day two, my co-angler caught a few on a Senko, and I missed a few early. I was thinking maybe I needed to change. I flipped for a bit, but went back to the crankbait, and a few casts in I caught my first keeper. It was a 6-pounder. That fish told me I didn’t need to put the crankbait down, so I kept it in my hand.”

Top 10 Below

2019 Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One: Randy Howell Take the Lead with 49-12lbs!

Randy Howell is the first leader of the BPT.
(Photo: BPT)

Randy Howell worked the grass flats of Lake Kissimmi and Toho to gain the lead on Stage 1 of Group 1. Group 2 will start tomorrow with 40 new anglers. Thursday will be elimination day where the Top 20 anglers from each Group will advance into the weekend.

Angler	Qualified	Total Weight Caught
Randy Howell	1st	49 - 12
Ish Monroe	2nd	40 - 13
Zack Birge	3rd	36 - 09
Gerald Spohrer	4th	35 - 04
Ott DeFoe	5th	34 - 14

Whitney Stephens Wins 2019 BASS Eastern Open Harris Chain of Lakes with 57-08lbs!

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.

2019 FLW Tour Lake San Rayburn Day 3: Terry Bolton Continues to Lead with 73-13lbs!

Canadian Sim makes final day cut  with 10th! 

by Justin Onslow

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Bolton eye first FLW win cranking red Rapala crankbaits.
(Photo: FLW)

Terry Bolton has done a great many things in his professional fishing career. He has 46 top-10 finishes in FLW competition, 29 of which were also top fives. He has a Costa FLW Series victory and another in T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) competition. With over $1.1 million in career earnings and 13 FLW Cup appearances to his name, there’s not much Bolton can say he hasn’t done in the sport of bass fishing.

Save for a victory on the FLW Tour.

Luckily for Bolton and the fans watching him at Sam Rayburn this week, the Kentucky pro is just a day away from reaching that goal. With a total of 73 pounds, 13 ounces, he’s nearly 5 pounds ahead after weighing 19-10 on day three of the FLW Tour event presented by Polaris.

Still, don’t expect Bolton to put any pressure on himself to get his first win — or even to chase down the elusive century mark with a 26-plus-pound bag tomorrow. Both would be nice, he admits, but that’s not what it’s all about for the 23-year pro from Benton, Ky.

“If it’s your time to win, you cannot stop it,” Bolton says. “I’ve been in this position. If it’s your turn, it’s your turn. If it’s not, it’s not. You might as well go enjoy it. You’re going to get to fish the final day on a great fishery. Would I love to win? Sure. It would be big for me. Is it the end-all if I don’t win? No.”

That’s been Bolton’s approach all week, even on Friday when he walked onto the weigh-in stage with a megabag of bass good for 33 pounds and 9 ounces. On Saturday, when Big Sam was fishing a little tougher than it had the previous two days, Bolton took the same approach and landed enough big fish to retain the lead.

With any luck, that same laid-back approach will produce enough big bass to earn him a win.

Bolton has done many of the same things all week. He’s relied on a Rapala DT 14 and DT 16 for some deep fish at several of the same spots, though he did mix in a 3/4-ounce Accent spinnerbait — his favorite technique — to land one keeper that made his final five.

Tomorrow will be business as usual for Bolton. He’ll run some of the same spots and throw some of the same baits, but who knows? According to the crafty vet, he may try some new things if that’s what the lake is asking for. And he won’t feel one ounce of pressure while he’s out there.

Nick LeBrun – 69-1 (20-13 day three)

FLW Tour rookie Nick LeBrun went swinging for the fences Saturday and legged out a triple. He didn’t clear the fence, but he sure put a charge into one with a 20-pound, 13-ounce bag that was one of only two 20-plus-pound stringers on the day.

“I went swinging early,” he admits. “I thought, man, if I can get one of those big ones to bite… I caught one little spot on that deep stuff, and then I went to my third spot and jacked them.”

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.