By MLF Communications Staff

Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn. caught 20 scorable smallmouth bass weighing 77 pounds, 2 ounces to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the MLF Bass Pro Tour on Mille Lacs Lake in Onamia, Minn. The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Thursday morning with the Championship Round. Weights are zeroed, and the angler who catches the most weight will win the top prize of $100,000.

The Top 8 pros from Wednesday’s Knockout Round who will compete in Thursday’s Championship Round are:

1st: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 77-02
2nd: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 19 bass, 71-03
3rd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 14 bass, 57-04
4th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 14 bass, 54-01
5th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 14 bass, 51-12
6th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 14 bass, 51-06
7th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 14 bass, 49-05
8th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J, 13 bass, 46-13

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round Winners:

Group A: Mark Daniels, Jr., Tuskegee, Ala.
Group B: Alton Jones, Sr., Lorena, Texas

“I don’t know that I’ve ever won a Knockout Round before,” Neal said in his post-game interview. “It’s not necessarily the round that you want to win, but I can’t complain either way. I laid off my fish pretty quick into the second period and there is a lot more there, but who knows what the weather is going to do tomorrow.

“I’ve got one main area up on the north end of the lake that I’m catching all my fish,” Neal continued. “It’s really been anywhere from 10 to 16 feet, pretty much where you can find a mixture of some grass and one or two rocks mixed in. It’s a very specific cast and you’ve got to hit it. And with the wind, that was kind of a challenge today.”

Neal battled through the winds, throwing a couple of different baits. He mentioned his key bait this week has been a Big Bite Baits SoMolly finesse worm, fished on a drop-shot rig with 10-pound Sunline SX1 braided line and 8-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line and a 1/0 Gamakatsu hook.

“Tomorrow it looks like we’re going to have the same kind weather, as far as the wind goes, and maybe even some rain,” Neal said. “I don’t know if that will push more fish to me or if it will scatter them out.

“Everybody is back to zero, all back to square one again, and it’s going to be a shootout,” Neal went on to say. “There are some great fishermen in this Top 10, no doubt. I’m looking for somewhere around that 80-to-90-pound range probably to try to win tomorrow. Maybe even 100.

"I feel like I could have gotten to that mark today if I needed to, but tomorrow is going to be different. I’m just ready to come back out here. It’s been a lot of fun this week. We’ve caught a lot of fish, some big fish, and we’ve just got to do it one more day.”

Ebare earned the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award Wednesday, catching a 6-01 smallmouth on a dropshot rig in Period 1. 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.

The Top 10 will launch at 7:30 a.m. CT from Eddy’s Resort, located at 41334 Shakopee Lake Road in Onamia. Takeout will be held at the at the resort 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 on each day of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.



Knockout Round

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

1. Michael Neal -- 77-02 (20) -- 5-01

2. Dustin Connell -- 71-03 (19) -- 4-10

3. Dakota Ebare -- 57-04 (14) -- 6-01

4. James Elam -- 54-01 (14) -- 5-02

5. Jesse Wiggins -- 51-12 (14) -- 4-06

6. David Walker -- 51-06 (14) -- 5-00

7. Justin Lucas -- 49-05 (14) -- 5-03

8. Adrian Avena -- 46-13 (13) -- 4-10

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

9. Jacob Wheeler -- 46-11 (12) -- 5-04

10. Marty Robinson -- 39-00 (12) -- 4-05

11. Mark Rose -- 38-08 (12) -- 4-08

12. Jonathon VanDam -- 38-07 (12) -- 4-08

13. Todd Faircloth -- 37-15 (11) -- 4-07

14. Jordan Lee -- 32-02 (9) -- 4-11

15. Jeff Kriet -- 32-00 (9) -- 4-07

16. Ott DeFoe -- 31-06 (9) -- 4-05

17. Gerald Spohrer -- 30-02 (9) -- 5-02

18. Alton Jones Jr. -- 29-05 (8) -- 4-11

19. Kevin VanDam -- 29-05 (8) -- 4-07

20. Randy Howell -- 29-04 (8) -- 5-00

21. Josh Bertrand -- 29-00 (8) -- 4-06

22. Brent Ehrler -- 25-14 (7) -- 5-05

23. Casey Ashley -- 25-04 (9) -- 4-08

24. Brent Chapman -- 24-11 (6) -- 5-01

25. Jared Lintner -- 24-02 (7) -- 4-14

26. Jeremy Lawyer -- 21-01 (6) -- 5-00

27. Jason Lambert -- 20-09 (6) -- 5-01

28. Wesley Strader -- 20-08 (6) -- 4-03

29. Stephen Browning -- 19-06 (5) -- 5-00

30. Ryan Salzman -- 17-15 (4) -- 5-06

31. Cliff Pace -- 16-13 (5) -- 4-05

32. Boyd Duckett -- 16-09 (4) -- 4-09

33. Bryan Thrift -- 16-02 (6) -- 3-04

34. Matt Lee -- 12-11 (3) -- 5-04

35. Luke Clausen -- 12-09 (4) -- 3-09

36. Shin Fukae -- 12-08 (4) -- 4-02

37. Ish Monroe -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00

37. Roy Hawk -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00