By MLF Communications Staff

The fishing wasn’t quite as fast and furious as it was for Group A competitors on Saturday, but it was still a fantastic day on the water for Group B anglers as they opened their two-day Qualifying Round Sunday at the MLF Bass Pro Tour event on Cayuga Lake in Union Springs, N.Y. Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., who just last week clinched his second straight MLF Pro Circuit Angler of the Year (AOY) title, kept his momentum rolling, catching 21 scorable bass weighing 83 pounds, 3 ounces, to take the lead for the group.

Mark Daniels Jr., of Tuskegee, Ala., sits in 2nd place, 7-13 back of Neal with 22 scorable bass totaling 75-06. Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. finished the day in 3rd place with 25 bass for 72-08, while Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. caught 20 bass totaling 71-13 to end the day in 4th place. Lorena, Texas' Alton Jones rounds out the Top 5 as he caught 25 bass weighing 71-04.

The 40 anglers in Group B will now have an off day on Monday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group A will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. Group B will conclude their Qualifying Round on Tuesday.

“I’m super happy with how the day went,” Neal said in his post-game interview. “I caught a ton of fish roaming on the very outside break of the lake. The fish don’t have anything else to relate to out past there, besides bait, and I think that is the big key to where I’ve been fishing at – a ton of baitfish in the area. I’m looking for the bass that are chasing those balls of bait around on the edge of that drop.”

Neal credited his Lowrance ActiveTarget Live Sonar as being critical to his success. He caught his fish dropshotting a pearl-colored Big Bite Baits Scentsation Swim Minnow using a No. 1 Gamakatsu hook with a 3/8-ounce Denali Kovert tungsten weight. He threw the dropshot rig on a 7-foot, 6-inch Denali Kovert rod with 8-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line.

“I feel like I’m definitely on the right pattern, catching both largemouth and smallmouth,” Neal said. “I expected to catch mostly smallmouth but was surprised at how many largemouth there were out here.

“It seems like everybody has found the same fish and it’s only going to get tougher and tougher because of the fishing pressure,” Neal went on to say. “Winning the Qualifying Round and getting that automatic berth into the Championship Round is a big deal this week, more so than normal. I’m trying to focus on getting to that point, but it is not going to be an easy task. I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”

Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala. earned Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award after catching a 6-09 largemouth in Period 1 that was the largest of the day. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the anglers who finish in 2nd through 20th place from both groups advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round, while the winner of each group advances directly to Thursday’s Championship Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 38 anglers compete to finish in the Top 8 to advance to the Championship Round. For the final day, weights are again zeroed and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.

Mark Rose of Wynne, Ark, who will be among the 40 anglers competing in Group B Sunday, has been penalized one hour of fishing time and will begin his tournament at 9 a.m. ET. Rose inadvertently fished one hour longer than allowed during the final day of the official practice period. When he returned to the launch ramp and realized his error, Rose immediately self-reported his violation to Tournament Director Aaron Beshears, who assessed the penalty.

Anglers launch each day at 7:30 a.m. ET from Frontenac Park, located at 15 Creamery Road in Union Springs. Each day’s takeout will be held at the park, beginning at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The tournament features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney break down the extended action each day from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.



Group B Qualifying Round – Day 1

(Figure at far right indicates weight of angler's heaviest fish of the day)

1. Michael Neal -- 83-03 (21) -- 5-15

2. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 75-06 (22) -- 4-10

3. Brent Ehrler -- 72-08 (25) -- 3-14

4. Mark Davis -- 71-13 (20) -- 5-12

5. Alton Jones -- 71-04 (25) -- 4-06

6. Andy Morgan -- 63-03 (19) -- 5-04

7. Dakota Ebare -- 58-05 (16) -- 4-14

8. Jordan Lee -- 57-11 (19) -- 5-00

9. James Elam -- 55-14 (17) -- 4-14

10. Fred Roumbanis -- 52-10 (16) -- 4-12

11. Cody Meyer -- 47-01 (15) -- 6-04

12. Timmy Horton -- 45-09 (13) -- 6-09

13. Mark Rose -- 43-15 (14) -- 4-14

14. Randall Tharp -- 43-06 (13) -- 4-13

15. James Watson -- 43-02 (14) -- 5-00

16. Jared Lintner -- 41-04 (15) -- 3-15

17. Britt Myers -- 41-01 (14) -- 5-07

18. Anthony Gagliardi -- 40-12 (11) -- 5-00

19. Shin Fukae -- 38-10 (12) -- 4-08

20. Bobby Lane -- 36-13 (13) -- 4-12

21. Randy Howell -- 36-11 (13) -- 3-10

22. Brandon Coulter -- 36-06 (12) -- 3-12

23. Andy Montgomery -- 35-06 (11) -- 4-05

24. Kevin VanDam -- 34-12 (12) -- 3-09

25. Edwin Evers -- 33-07 (11) -- 4-02

26. Boyd Duckett -- 33-05 (10) -- 5-10

27. David Dudley -- 32-04 (11) -- 4-02

28. Paul Elias -- 29-11 (8) -- 5-02

29. Wesley Strader -- 29-10 (10) -- 4-13

30. Mike McClelland -- 28-11 (9) -- 5-15

31. Marty Robinson -- 24-12 (7) -- 4-13

32. Dean Rojas -- 22-02 (7) -- 4-12

33. Cliff Crochet -- 21-07 (7) -- 4-10

34. Greg Vinson -- 20-10 (6) -- 5-01

35. Gary Klein -- 19-13 (6) -- 5-00

36. Takahiro Omori -- 17-04 (6) -- 4-06

37. Keith Poche -- 16-11 (4) -- 4-10

38. Ryan Salzman -- 15-15 (5) -- 4-03

39. Shaw Grigsby -- 7-01 (2) -- 4-13

40. John Murray -- 6-11 (2) -- 4-01