By MLF Communications Staff

Justin Lucas posted the highest single-day weight total of the entire event, catching nine bass totaling 36-13 to win the Knockout Round at the Sam Rayburn Reservoir MLF Bass Pro Tour event in Texas. The final 10 anglers are now set and competition will resume Friday morning with the Championship Round, the sixth and final day of competition. Weights are zeroed, and the angler who catches the most weight will win the top prize of $100,000.

The Top 8 pros from Thursday’s Knockout Round who will compete in Friday’s Championship Round on Sam Rayburn Reservoir are:

1st: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., nine bass, 36-13
2nd: Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., 10 bass, 27-15
3rd: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., seven bass, 24-0
4th: Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, eight bass, 23-15
5th: Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., seven bass, 22-7
6th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., eight bass, 21-11
7th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., six bass, 20-10
8th: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., six bass, 19-2

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round winners:

Group A: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn.
Group B: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La.

Lucas said that he took a finesse approach with a dropshot rig, a strategy he adopted after a solid round on Wednesday.

“I was trying to force myself to catch fish on the bank and they just weren’t there,” Lucas said. “There’s millions of fish in this lake and they all aren’t on the bank. I’m finding them on big grass flats in 3 or 4 feet of water. They’re pre-spawn and spawning out there.”

Lucas caught the majority of his fish on the dropshot rig, but it was a big swimbait fish he caught on Wednesday that really brought the finesse mindset to the forefront.

“When I caught that 7-14 on a swimbait on Wednesday, I knew that I needed to switch things up,” Lucas said. “I told myself to back off these fish, get away from the bank and look for areas in these flats where they can be spawning or staging. It worked out and I think I know how I’m going to attack tomorrow.”

The ScoreTracker provided plenty of drama for fans and anglers alike Thursday afternoon, especially for anglers trying to finish above the cut line. Pro Mark Davis led the Qualifying Group B Round on his first day at Sam Rayburn but found himself outside the Top 8 with only 20 minutes remaining in the Knockout Round.

Davis was able to find some new water and brought in a crucial 6 1/2-pound largemouth to rocket up into the Top 8. As he took his boat out of the water and prepared himself to fish another Championship Round, Davis expressed the relief he felt after landing that bass.

“That fish meant everything to me,” Davis said. “I could only figure out one way to get a bite all day, and that was with a Carolina rig. To be able to catch that fish right there at the end and lock up a second straight Top-10 finish was a great feeling.”

Luke Clausen was another angler who found himself outside of the Top 8 with time winding down. The Washington pro added a 2-14, 4-03 and 3-14 over the final two hours to lock up a spot in the Championship Round.

“I was getting really stressed because I went from third place to out of the Top 8 in such a hurry,” Clausen recapped. “I caught that 3-14 in the final few minutes to secure my spot and I’m glad I did because I was afraid I was going to fall out. I’m excited to get out there tomorrow and give it a shot at winning this thing.”

There were 176 bass weighing 508 -15 ounces caught by 37 pros Thursday, which included four 6-pounders and six 5-pounders.

Spencer Shuffield won the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award on Thursday, catching a 6-09 largemouth in Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the biggest bass each day and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the largest bass of the tournament.



Knockout Round

(Figure at far right indicates angler's heaviest fish for the round)

1. Justin Lucas -- 36-13 (9) -- 6-07

2. Cliff Pace -- 27-15 (10) -- 4-07

3. Luke Clausen -- 24-00 (7) -- 4-03

4. Jeff Sprague -- 23-15 (8) -- 5-08

5. Tommy Biffle -- 22-07 (7) -- 6-00

6. Bobby Lane -- 21-11 (8) -- 3-12

7. Mark Davis -- 20-10 (6) -- 6-08

8. Cliff Crochet -- 19-02 (6) -- 4-09

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not advance to the Championship Round

9. Spencer Shuffield -- 18-09 (6) -- 6-09

10. Jacob Wheeler -- 16-11 (6) -- 3-09

11. Fred Roumbanis -- 16-11 (5) -- 4-05

12. Shin Fukae -- 16-09 (6) -- 5-01

13. Alton Jones Jr. -- 16-07 (5) -- 5-14

14. Brent Chapman -- 16-02 (6) -- 3-15

15. Dean Rojas -- 16-00 (5) -- 4-15

16. Jeff Kriet -- 15-11 (7) -- 2-10

17. Brent Ehrler -- 15-06 (7) -- 2-08

18. Greg Vinson -- 14-03 (3) -- 5-04

19. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 13-07 (6) -- 2-14

20. Kevin VanDam -- 12-03 (5) -- 2-14

21. Fletcher Shryock -- 10-10 (4) -- 3-08

22. Takahiro Omori -- 9-11 (4) -- 2-13

23. Matt Becker -- 9-06 (4) -- 2-09

24. Ish Monroe -- 9-06 (3) -- 4-02

25. Zack Birge -- 9-05 (4) -- 2-12

26. Dustin Connell -- 9-02 (3) -- 3-14

27. Skeet Reese -- 8-12 (3) -- 3-12

28. Stephen Browning -- 8-06 (3) -- 3-00

29. Marty Robinson -- 8-02 (3) -- 3-00

30. Timmy Horton -- 7-11 (3) -- 3-00

31. Anthony Gagliardi -- 6-12 (3) -- 2-07

32. Wesley Strader -- 6-10 (3) -- 2-10

33. Brett Hite -- 6-04 (2) -- 3-06

34. Edwin Evers -- 4-14 (2) -- 2-14

35. Jason Lambert -- 4-09 (2) -- 2-06

36. Bryan Thrift -- 2-08 (1) -- 2-08

37. Brandon Coulter -- 2-07 (1) -- 2-07

38. Randall Tharp -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00