By MLF Communications Staff

After going the first three hours of the final round without a single keeper, Nick LeBrun finally reeled in his first fish of the day – a 7-pound Guntersville largemouth – to shake things up at the MLF Pro Circuit event on Alabama's Lake Guntersville. LeBrun then went on a 45-minute flurry to put together a solid limit, ending the day with 22 pounds, 15 ounces to take home his first win and earn the top payout of $100,000.

LeBrun sat in 44th place after Day 1 of the tournament, only weighing in 16-15, before jumping to 7th place on Day Two with a monster limit weighing 22-02. His momentum carried and continued to build throughout the event, ultimately ending on Sunday with his biggest fish – and biggest limit – of the tournament. LeBrun’s final-day total gave him a 2-06 margin over rookie Nick Hatfield, who brought a limit to the scales weighing 20-09, good for 2nd place.

“It’s just been a phenomenal day. I feel so blessed,” LeBrun said. “I started in my main spot first thing this morning and the eel grass was just out of control. I wasn’t even fishing – I was basically just raking grass with every cast and that started to spin me out a little. I knew where some more shallow stuff was, and some bream-feeders and fry, so I decided to go hit that for a while. But even there, I just wasn’t seeing fish like I had been and was only catching small 10-inch fish.”

LeBrun said he spent an hour and a half trying to force the shallow bite to work and it just wasn’t happening.

“At 10 a.m. I had zero fish and was feeling really discouraged,” LeBrun said. “I pulled back to my main spot to find the eel grass had cleared out and we absolutely wrecked them for about 45 minutes. By 10:45 I had a solid sack of fish – I can’t ask for anything better than that.”

Because he had stacked up a quality limit early on, aided by the 7-pound kicker, LeBrun ended up going most of the day without culling.

“Most of my fish this week came from a main-river ledge in water about 30-foot deep,” LeBrun continued. “I had a few key baits, including a 4 1/2-inch Producer Swimbait, blue-crack-colored, with a homemade 3/4-ounce head that I was throwing on a Fitzgerald 7’6” heavy All Purpose Casting Rod with a 7:1 Fitzgerald Stunner Casting Reel, paired with 18-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper Fluorocarbon That’s what the 7-pounder, and most of my big ones, were caught on.

“That setup got them fired up, but when they went cold I had another waypoint where I would slide up shallow around the back and throw a 10 1/2-inch V&M J-Mag Worm on a 3/4-ounce V&M Mega Shakey Head in a couple of different colors."

The momentous turnaround proved to be a theme for the Louisiana pro – during the tournament on Lake Guntersville and in life in general.

On the stage at the weigh-in, LeBrun said “Seven-pounders are awesome and getting a Top 10 is awesome, but that doesn’t compare to my relationship with Jesus Christ” which was met with applause from the audience.

“The last time I held up a check for Major League Fishing, I wasn’t the same guy I am today,” LeBrun continued. “The last time I stood on this stage and held up a trophy was at the 2018 All-American on Cross Lake, and that was a dark time in my life. There were a lot of things wrong, but shortly after that Jesus Christ redeemed me, and now I stand here giving Him all the glory – not myself, but Him.

“There’s nothing in life that’s too far gone with Him, so to stand here with my lovely wife Jolene by my side, and to be here with all of you, it really means a lot.”

Lane Olson had his weight disqualified Sunday, as he violated Pro Circuit Rule No. 14 on the final day of competition, which states, “The use of braid or other line to attach a single stinger hook to a lure is allowed as long as the line is no more than 2 inches in length.” Olson was unaware of the rule and mistakenly attached a second stinger hook to his lure on Sunday, therefore his weight for the day was disqualified. Olson finished the event in 10th place and earned a payout of $14,000.

Spencer Shuffield held on to his lead in the Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 732 points after four events, while Josh Butler currently sits in 2nd place with 720. John Hunter is 3rd with 695, followed by 2021 AOY Michael Neal with 685 and Matt Becker with 677.

Day 4 (Final) Standings

1. Nick LeBrun -- 22-15 (5) -- $101,000

2. Nick Hatfield -- 20-09 (5) -- $30,000

3. Michael Neal -- 18-06 (5) -- $25,000

4. Bobby Lane -- 17-03 (5) -- $20,000

5. Josh Butler -- 15-15 (5) -- $19,000

6. Jacob Wall -- 14-10 (5) -- $18,000

7. Spencer Shuffield -- 13-02 (5) -- $17,000

8. Ron Nelson -- 11-08 (5) -- $16,000

9. Brandon Mosley -- 11-06 (5) -- $15,000

10. Lane Olson -- 0-00 (5) -- $14,000