Thrift Cruises To Victory In Group A

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Photo: MLF/Phoenix Moore

Bryan Thrift's five fish on Wednesday included a 7-06 and a 6-07.

By MLF Communications Staff

MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. – After starting the day in second place, reigning REDCREST champion Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. caught a couple of giants Wednesday to dominate the Group A Qualifying Round and win his way directly into the Championship Round at the Major League Fishing Heavy Hitters event at Caney Creek Reservoir.

Thrift caught five scorable bass weighing 25 pounds, 11 ounces Wednesday to give him a 2-day total of 55-13 on 11 fish. He prevailed by a 7-13 margin over second-place Josh Bertrand of Queen Creek, Ariz., who landed 11 scorable bass good for 48 pounds even.

Third-place angler Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, who had caught a 9-05 bass on Monday to take the early lead for the $25,000 Qualifying Round Group A Big Bass Bonus, broke his own mark on Wednesday with a 9-06 largemouth to earn the $25,000 prize. Another $25,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus will be awarded Thursday to the heaviest bass weighed by Group B in their Qualifying Round, and prizes of $50,000 and $100,000 will be awarded on Friday and Saturday for the single biggest fish in the Knockout and Championship rounds.

The eight anglers advancing from Group A will have the day off Thursday, while the 15 anglers in Group B complete their Qualifying Round. The Knockout Round, featuring 14 anglers competing to finish in the Top 8, will take place on Friday. Saturday’s Championship Round will feature Thrift, Thursday’s Group B winner and the Top 8 anglers from the Knockout Round competing for the top prize of $100,000 along with the $100,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus.

“I am definitely going to elect to skip over the next round and go straight to the Championship Round,” Thrift said in his post-game interview. “I am so excited for a guaranteed shot to fish for $200,000 – $100,000 for first place in the Championship Round and $100,000 for big bass, on a great big bass fishery. I know there are going to be some giants caught – last time we were there I caught a 9 (pounder). And I lost one even bigger. Randy Howell caught one almost 13 (pounds). So I can’t wait to get to Bussey (Brake) and see what happens.”

Thrift caught five fish Wednesday, with three coming on his signature Z-Man Big-Blade ChatterBait. He added a 6-07 on a medium-diving crankbait, and his last big one – a 7-06 – on a soft plastic speed worm.

“I’m throwing a 1/2-ounce Z-Man Jack Hammer ChatterBait,” Thrift said. “I’m throwing it on my Signature Series Frog rod from Fitzgerald Fishing, with a Fitzgerald Fishing VLD10 reel on 17-pound P-Line Tactical fluorocarbon (line). This is a great setup for making long casts, when you’re fishing grass and having to rip that bait free.

“I have a Signature Series ChatterBait rod, but I really like that rod more for skipping around docks – it has a softer tip and is a little bit shorter, so you can be more accurate with your casts. But when I’m fishing open-water scenarios, like I have been this week here at Caney, the frog rod really gets the job done in that situation. I’m ready to get to Bussey Brake to see if we can catch a giant!”

One angler who caught a couple of giants in Group A was Ebare.

“I wanted the clock to slow down because I thought I might have the opportunity to run down Thrift and advance straight to the Championship Round, but at the same time I wanted the time to fly because that’s 25 grand, man,” Ebare said in his post-game interview. “I am very, very thankful for that fish – heck, both of those fish. How cool is that, to catch a 9-5 and a 9-6 – I mean, what an unbelievable fishery. This place is phenomenal. I’m just glad to be here and I look forward to another day on Caney Creek. Maybe we can catch one even bigger Friday in the Knockout Round.”

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 A Qualifying Round – Day 2

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

1. Bryan Thrift -- 30-02 (6) -- 25-11 (5) -- 55-13 (11) -- 7-06

2. Josh Bertrand -- 16-01 (4) -- 31-15 (7) -- 48-00 (11) -- 7-12

3. Dakota Ebare -- 22-09 (5) -- 17-02 (4) -- 39-11 (9) -- 9-06

4. Ryan Salzman -- 25-12 (6) -- 11-00 (2) -- 36-12 (8) -- 8-06

5. Alton Jones Jr. -- 33-14 (9) -- 2-03 (1) -- 36-01 (10) -- 2-03

6. Chris Lane -- 9-09 (3) -- 20-11 (6) -- 30-04 (9) -- 4-13

7. Bradley Roy -- 24-15 (6) -- 2-05 (1) -- 27-04 (7) -- 2-05

8. Kevin VanDam -- 2-06 (1) -- 24-06 (8) -- 26-12 (9) -- 5-10

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

9. Stephen Browning -- 18-15 (5) -- 7-10 (2) -- 26-09 (7) -- 5-01