Morgan Bolts To Big Lead In Group B

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Photo: MLF/Tyler Brinks

Andy Morgan used two baits to compile his 38-12 haul on Tuesday.

By MLF Communications Staff

MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. – As numerous anglers struggled offshore with finicky bass that they could see on their Lowrance Active Target but not convince to bite, pro Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., went old-school Tuesday to jump out to an early lead. Morgan went to the bank, flipping and pitching his way to 11 scorable largemouth weighing 38 pounds, 12 ounces, to pace the field for Group B in the Qualifying Round of the Major League Fishing Heavy Hitters event at Caney Creek Reservoir.

Dustin Connell of Clanton, Ala. caught the largest bass of the day during Period 3 – a 7-08 largemouth that came on a weightless wacky rig. If Connell’s fish remains the largest bass weighed by Group B after the conclusion of the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday, he will take home a $25,000 Big Bass Bonus. The bonues are awarded throughout the competition, with payouts of $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 being awarded for the single biggest fish in the Qualifying, Knockout and Championship rounds.

Morgan will bring a 13-02 lead over second-place pro and reigning Angler of the Year (AOY) Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn. into Thursday’s second day of competition in the Qualifying Round for Group B. Wheeler landed seven scorable bass totaling 25-10, while Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. went on a third-period flurry, catching four scorable bass weighing 19-07 in a one-hour timespan to finish the day in third place.

The 15 anglers in Group B will now have the day off Wednesday, while the 15 anglers in Group A will wrap up their two-day Qualifying Round.

“I was totally blindsided, I had no idea that this would happen and today was way better than I expected,” Morgan said. “I went into this little area – I wouldn’t say totally blind, because I had a couple of bites in there during practice – but I figured that I was just going to try to start out doing some shallower fishing. And then I kept getting bit.

“It was kind of crazy honestly, I had no idea that I was going to catch them like that,” Morgan continued. “I thought I could maybe get a couple of bites to get a start, but I was really shocked that I caught as many bass as I did. Because that place is tiny. It’s like a pond. And I was just shocked nobody else was around, and I was shocked that there were no locals. It was a very nice surprise.”

Morgan said he caught his bass on two baits – mainly a Zoom Z-Craw, but he did add a couple of keepers on a Strike King Rage Bug.

“Now it’s just like, okay, I hope this lasts another day so I can hang on,” Morgan said. “I would love to win this (Qualifying) Round and skip the Knockout round and go straight to the Championship (Round), but I know that’s going to be a tough road to hoe, for sure. What I’m doing is very fragile. It’s shallow, fragile, and it can’t take a lot of pressure. And I leaned on it a lot today, a really small area.

“I just don’t think there are very many big ones doing what I’m doing, but I’ll take all of the 4 pounders,” Morgan went on to say.

Different from the Bass Pro Tour regular-season events, Heavy Hitters features anglers competing using the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format in which they catch as many scorable bass and as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the ScoreTracker leaderboard. A bass must meet the 2-pound minimum weight requirement to be deemed scorable in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, but for the final-day Championship Round a bass must weigh at least 3 pounds to score.

After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the Top 8 anglers from both groups advance to Thursday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round weights are zeroed, and the remaining 16 anglers compete to finish in the Top 10 to advance to the Championship Round.

In the Championship Round, weights carry over from the Knockout Round and the highest two-day total wins.

Anglers launch each day at 7:30 a.m. CT. The Qualifying and Knockout Rounds, (days 1-5) will launch from Caney Creek Hooks Marina, located at 400 Spillway Road in Chatham, La.. The final 10 anglers competing in the Championship Round will launch from Bonner Ferry Road, located 5 miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. 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.

To qualify for Heavy Hitters, the weight of an angler’s single largest bass from each event of the seven 2022 Bass Pro Tour events was recorded. The 30 anglers with the heaviest total from those seven bass qualified to compete in this event.

The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney breaks down the extended action from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT on each competition day. 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 for the round)

1. Andy Morgan -- 38-12 (11) -- 5-12

2. Jacob Wheeler -- 25-10 (7) -- 7-07

3. Brent Ehrler -- 19-07 (4) -- 6-13

4. Edwin Evers -- 16-12 (4) -- 6-13

5. Randy Howell -- 16-11 (5) -- 6-04

6. Dustin Connell -- 16-06 (3) -- 7-08

7. Jonathon VanDam -- 15-11 (5) -- 4-07

8. Randall Tharp -- 14-07 (3) -- 6-13

9. Justin Lucas -- 13-10 (4) -- 5-13

10. Jesse Wiggins -- 10-06 (3) -- 5-03