By MLF Communications Staff
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Jeremy Lawyer of Sarcoxie, Missour weighed in ive bass totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces to win the Group A Qualifying Round Wednesday at the MLF Bass Pro Tour event at the Kissimmee Chain. Lawyer’s two-day total of 35-07 earned him the win by a 1-13 margin over 2nd-place angler Jeff Sprague of Wills Point, Texas, who compiled a two-day total of 33-10.
The Top 20 advancing anglers from Group A will now have an off day from competition Thursday while the 40 anglers in Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The Top 20 anglers from each group advance to Friday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the Top 10 to advance to the Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.
“Well, goal number one for this tournament has been accomplished – I’ve made the Knockout Round,” Lawyer said in his postgame interview. “Unfortunately, you don’t really get anything except a pat on the back and some bragging rights, but that’s okay and we’ll take it for now.
“What happened today was very confusing,” Lawyer continued. “Nothing that I thought was going to happen went down, except for my very first starting spot. But the Knockout Round is a new day and I’m excited that I’ll be there and hope that I can get the right bites.”
Lawyer targeted offshore hydrilla with a vibrating jig and a swimjig for most of the day. He also added a couple of scorable bass on a ribbon-tail worm, but the vibrating jig was the key bait for him.
“I capitalized on some hydrilla and eelgrass mixed out deep,” Lawyer said. “I’d wind around a vibrating jig, then turn around and throw a Zoom Speed Worm around pads and up shallow, trying to catch some spawning fish. It was kind of a 1-2 punch. I didn’t get a lot of bites, but what I did get was pretty good quality. Overall, it was a pretty solid day and I’m looking forward to the Knockout Round."
Mitch Crane of Columbus, Mississippi, earned Wednesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a stocky largemouth weighing 7-04 that he caught in Period 1 on a swimjig. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day and a $1,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
Anglers launch each day at 7:30 a.m. ET from Big Toho Marina, located at 69 Lakeview Drive in Kissimmee. Each day’s takeout is held at the marina 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 coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The tournament features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 6-ounce 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 will break down the extended action live on all six days of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLF NOW! will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Group A Qualifying Round – Day 2
(Figure at far right indicates weight of angler's heaviest fish of the round)
1. Jeremy Lawyer -- 19-09 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 35-07 (10) -- 4-07
2. Jeff Sprague -- 20-04 (5) -- 13-06 (5) -- 33-10 (10) -- 3-10
3. Shin Fukae -- 18-15 (5) -- 14-10 (4) -- 33-09 (9) -- 5-02
4. Jesse Wiggins -- 17-04 (5) -- 16-00 (5) -- 33-04 (10) -- 6-03
5. Mitch Crane -- 13-02 (5) -- 19-09 (5) -- 32-11 (10) -- 7-04
6. Mark Rose -- 18-07 (5) -- 14-00 (5) -- 32-07 (10) -- 3-14
7. Ott DeFoe -- 15-01 (5) -- 15-15 (5) -- 31-00 (10) -- 5-09
8. Jordan Lee -- 15-08 (5) -- 15-07 (5) -- 30-15 (10) -- 4-06
9. Todd Faircloth -- 13-04 (5) -- 17-02 (5) -- 30-06 (10) -- 6-02
10. Fletcher Shryock -- 23-06 (5) -- 6-15 (3) -- 30-05 (8) -- 3-05
11. Gerald Spohrer -- 16-11 (5) -- 13-02 (5) -- 29-13 (10) -- 3-05
12. John Murray -- 11-02 (5) -- 18-04 (5) -- 29-06 (10) -- 5-00
13. Brett Hite -- 17-10 (5) -- 11-11 (4) -- 29-05 (9) -- 4-01
14. Bryan Thrift -- 12-04 (5) -- 16-02 (5) -- 28-06 (10) -- 3-12
15. Ryan Salzman -- 14-03 (4) -- 13-14 (5) -- 28-01 (9) -- 4-02
16. Britt Myers -- 10-14 (5) -- 15-01 (5) -- 25-15 (10) -- 4-10
17. Josh Butler -- 11-04 (5) -- 14-00 (5) -- 25-04 (10) -- 4-02
18. Spencer Shuffield -- 7-15 (4) -- 16-15 (5) -- 24-14 (9) -- 4-14
19. Scott Suggs -- 9-14 (5) -- 14-11 (5) -- 24-09 (10) -- 6-15
20. Andy Morgan -- 9-13 (5) -- 14-09 (5) -- 24-06 (10) -- 3-12
The following anglers did not make the cut and did not advance to the Knockout Round
21. Skeet Reese -- 9-07 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 24-04 (10) -- 3-10
22. John Hunter -- 16-11 (5) -- 7-08 (4) -- 24-03 (9) -- 2-14
23. David Dudley -- 11-14 (5) -- 12-02 (5) -- 24-00 (10) -- 3-14
24. Michael Neal -- 14-08 (5) -- 9-00 (5) -- 23-08 (10) -- 2-08
25. Josh Bertrand -- 10-11 (5) -- 12-09 (4) -- 23-04 (9) -- 6-10
26. Alton Jones -- 13-01 (5) -- 9-04 (5) -- 22-05 (10) -- 2-08
27. Randall Tharp -- 10-15 (3) -- 11-01 (5) -- 22-00 (8) -- 2-08
28. Luke Clausen -- 12-01 (5) -- 9-12 (5) -- 21-13 (10) -- 2-11
29. Dave Lefebre -- 10-07 (5) -- 11-05 (5) -- 21-12 (10) -- 2-14
30. Zack Birge -- 10-07 (5) -- 11-00 (5) -- 21-07 (10) -- 2-13
31. Marty Robinson -- 9-08 (5) -- 11-12 (5) -- 21-04 (10) -- 3-14
32. David Walker -- 7-02 (3) -- 13-06 (5) -- 20-08 (8) -- 5-05
33. Gary Klein -- 14-09 (5) -- 5-03 (3) -- 19-12 (8) -- 2-01
34. Jonathon VanDam -- 9-06 (5) -- 10-02 (3) -- 19-08 (8) -- 5-00
35. Kelly Jordon -- 8-03 (5) -- 9-09 (5) -- 17-12 (10) -- 3-00
36. Cody Meyer -- 6-15 (5) -- 10-05 (5) -- 17-04 (10) -- 2-08
37. James Elam -- 4-10 (3) -- 11-07 (4) -- 16-01 (7) -- 5-04
38. James Watson -- 4-08 (2) -- 9-05 (3) -- 13-13 (5) -- 6-00
39. Greg Vinson -- 7-13 (5) -- 5-09 (3) -- 13-06 (8) -- 2-01
40. Dean Rojas -- 8-04 (5) -- 4-05 (3) -- 12-09 (8) -- 1-12
