Shuffield Punches His Ticket To Finals

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Photo: MLF/Charles Waldorf

All of Spencer Shuffield's 23-03 stringer was compiled after 10 a.m.

By MLF Communications Staff

Although the bite was a little harder to come by Thursday for Group A anglers, Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark. made it seem like a breeze, bringing a five-bass limit to the stage weighing 23 pounds, 3 ounces to win an automatic Championship Round berth at the MLF Pro Circuit TITLE Championship in Massena, N.Y.

Shuffield’s two-day total of 44-08 earned him the group win by a 1-07 margin over Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark., who led Day 1. Cifuentes compiled a two-day total of 43-01.

The top 10 anglers from Group A will now have an off-day Friday, while the 25 anglers in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The Knockout Round, featuring 18 anglers competing to finish in the Top 8, will take place on Saturday. Sunday’s Championship Round will feature Shuffield, Friday’s Group B winner and the eight surviving anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a one-day shootout to catch the heaviest five-bass limit for the top prize of up to $235,000.

Shuffield said he struggled early in the day and was sitting without a bass at 10 a.m.

“I had a slow start today, then lost a big bass at the end that could have put me up around 25 to 26 pounds, so I’m thrilled to be sitting in the top spot at the end of the day,” he said in his post-game interview. “This place has got a ton of large smallmouth right now and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a 27- or 28-pound bag before the week is over.

“I don’t know if the one I lost was quite 6 pounds, but she for sure was a heavy 5-pounder. It might be a blessing from God that I lost that fish, though. These smallmouth are very aggressive and tend to bite again, so there’s a good chance I can catch her again on Sunday. She’s on a very small spot and there were five or six fish there with her, so hopefully I can land at least one of those big ones in the Championship Round.”

Shuffield said the area he’s fishing is featureless and doesn’t look like anything special, but he found it on the second day of practice, using his electronics.

“My Garmin Livescope is key because it shows the contour lines so well. There’s nothing there, but I found a good, sharp grass edge with a narrow channel running through it and the bass are really holding up in there. I caught several smallmouth really quick once I pulled over there today, and I found two more places in that area that may be even better.”

All of Shuffield’s bass were caught fishing a dropshot rig and he said he couldn’t be more thrilled about earning the straight shot through to the Championship Round.

“It feels great to be guaranteed to fish for the win, especially since I laid off them a bit and still managed to finish on top. I’ve already narrowed down an area where I’m going to live or die on Sunday, so laying off those fish for two days and then hitting them again should be a great advantage.

“I plan to go straight back to that spot on Sunday, and I’ve got several other areas that are producing a big bite, so I feel really good going into the Championship Round,” Shuffield went on to say.

The tournament features a hybrid format. All 50 anglers are seeded into two groups of 25 – Group A and Group B, based on points earned in 2022 qualifying events – where they compete in Qualifying Rounds over the first four days of the tournament. Group B will fish again on Day 4, with total weight determined by the cumulative weight of their biggest five-bass limit from both days.

Anglers take off at 7 a.m. ET each day from the Massena Intake Boat Launch, located at 1415 State Hwy 131 in Massena. Weigh-ins are held at the boat launch daily at 3 p.m.

The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney break down the extended action from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET daily. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the MLF NOW! livestream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Group A Qualifying Round – Day 2

1. Spencer Shuffield -- Hot Springs, Ark. -- 10, 44-08

2.: Joey Cifuentes -- Clinton, Ark. -- 10, 43-01

3. Justin Cooper -- Zwolle, La. -- 10, 42-15

4. Jacopo Gallelli -- Florence, Italy -- 10, 41-09

5. Dakota Ebare -- Brookeland, Texas -- 10, 41-06

6. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, Del. -- 10, 40-10

7. Kyle Cortiana -- Broken Arrow, Okla. -- 10, 40-05

8. Josh Bragg -- Fayetteville, Ga. -- 10, 40-01

9. Matt Becker -- Finleyville, Pa. -- 10, 37-07

10. Evan Barnes -- Dardanelle, Ark. -- 10, 37-06

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