By MLF Communications Staff

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dustin Connell caught a five-bass limit that weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces, to grab the early lead after Day 1 of of REDCREST 2023 at Lake Norman. Right behind Connell in second place is California pro Brent Ehrler, who caught five bass weighing 15-11. Edwin Evers of Talala, Oklahoma , sits in third place with five bass weighing 15-06.

The full field of 40 anglers will compete again on Day 2, with only the Top 20 anglers after Thursday advancing into the Championship Round of competition.

“Today I had a great day, but the plan is just to take this one day at a time,” said Connell, the 2021 REDCREST champion from Clanton, Alabama. “This is a long week. I knew coming in that if you could figure out the prespawners, it would last. And today I had a really good start. But all that matters is this weekend. That’s the goal, and we’ve got a long way to go. But I feel good about this start.”

Connell caught 15 scorable keeper bass – 14 spotted bass and one largemouth – Wednesday, mainly on a shaky-head rig, a jerkbait and a weightless Googan Baits Lunker Log.

“I left my best area after I caught 15 pounds and just went practicing,” Connell said. “I was catching fish pretty much the entire time. I was just kind of feeling out new areas, trying to see if the fish were doing this, or doing that.

“I’m running a pattern, and this time of the year it works really great around my house,” he continued. “It’s not a certain spot, it’s not a certain three spots. I’m just running and if it looks good, I’m rolling up and fishing it and I think I can catch them. I just feel like I know where they’re coming to and what they’re doing.”

Evers caught a 6-pound bass in Period 1 on a shallow-diving crankbait to earn the day’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award. 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.

All 40 Anglers compete on Days 1 (Wednesday) and 2 (Thursday) and will score their five heaviest bass each day. After two days of competition, the field is cut to just the Top 20 based on two-day total (10 bass) cumulative weight. Weights are zeroed, and the Top 20 anglers compete on Day 3 (Friday). The field is trimmed to 15 anglers on Day 4 (Saturday), then the final 10 anglers compete on Day 5 (Sunday). The winner is determined by the heaviest three-day total (15 bass) cumulative weight with the winner earning the top prize of $300,000.

The take-off ceremony will begin at 6:15 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday, and 7:15 a.m. on Championship Sunday, at Blythe Landing Park, located at 15901 N.C. 73 HY, in Huntersville, North Carolina. Anglers will depart at 7 a.m. on Days 1-4, and 8 a.m. on Day 5, and return after competition ends at 4 p.m. on Days 1-4 and 5 p.m. on Day 5. Fans are welcome to attend all launch events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney break down the extended action from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first four days of competition, and from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Championship Sunday. MLF NOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.



Day 1 Standings

1. Dustin Connell -- 16-07 (5)

2. Brent Ehrler -- 15-11 (5)

3. Edwin Evers -- 15-06 (5)

4. Jacob Wheeler -- 15-03 (5)

5. Cody Meyer -- 14-15 (5)

6. Matt Lee -- 14-04 (5)

7. Bryan Thrift -- 13-12 (5)

8. Casey Ashley -- 13-11 (5)

9. Fletcher Shryock -- 13-10 (5)

10. Zack Birge -- 12-15 (5)

11. Alton Jones Jr. -- 12-11 (5)

12. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 12-07 (5)

13. Andy Montgomery -- 12-06 (5)

14. Randall Tharp -- 12-03 (5)

15. Mark Rose -- 12-03 (5)

16. Josh Bertrand -- 12-02 (5)

17. Anthony Gagliardi -- 12-02 (5)

18. Jordan Lee -- 12-00 (5)

19. Greg Vinson -- 11-15 (5)

20. Stephen Browning -- 11-12 (5)

21. Shin Fukae -- 11-11 (5)

22. Adrian Avena -- 11-11 (5)

23. Jared Lintner -- 11-10 (5)

24. Justin Lucas -- 11-10 (5)

25. Jonathon VanDam -- 11-07 (5)

26. Randy Howell -- 11-07 (5)

27. Ott DeFoe -- 11-01 (5)

28. Jesse Wiggins -- 11-00 (5)

29. James Elam -- 10-15 (5)

30. Michael Neal -- 10-15 (5)

31. Kevin VanDam -- 10-13 (5)

32. Mark Davis -- 10-08 (4)

33. Chris Lane -- 10-01 (5)

34. Dakota Ebare -- 10-00 (5)

35. Jeremy Lawyer -- 9-12 (5)

36. Andy Morgan -- 8-12 (5)

37. Todd Faircloth -- 8-00 (4)

38. Wesley Strader -- 7-12 (5)

39. Alton Jones -- 3-15 (1)

40. David Walker -- 3-11 (2)