By MLF Communications Staff

CONROE, Texas – When Nick LeBrun left Lake Conroe on Thursday after Day 1 of the MLF Bass Pro Tour season opener, he wasn’t sure what to do next. The Bossier City, Louisiana resident, who found himself atop the ScoreTracker leaderboard, had to decide whether to shoot for the Qualifying Round victory and the automatic berth to the Championship Round that comes with it or to ease off his fish, explore new water and use Friday to practice.

LeBrun ultimately opted to fish for the win. Mission accomplished.

Despite an early challenge from a few anglers who got on a hot morning bite and a late charge by Spencer Shuffield, LeBrun spent almost the entire day Friday atop ScoreTracker, adding 22 scorable bass weighing 51 pounds, 12 ounces to his Day 1 weight. His two-day total of 135-2 topped Shuffield by nearly 11 pounds.

“I knew that there wasn’t no such thing as saving fish for this event,” LeBrun said. “If I would have stayed out of that creek and went looking for new stuff, there would have still been 20 boats back in there catching them. So, I thought, it might as well be me.”

As a result, LeBrun will take Saturday off before competing for the trophy and $150,000 during Sunday’s Championship Round. The rest of the Top 20 will take to the water for the Knockout Round to duke it out for the other nine spots.

Despite catching more than 83 pounds on Day 1 and leading his nearest pursuer by nearly 9 pounds, LeBrun tinkered with his strategy on Day 2. Most of the field once again chose to use the one forward-facing sonar period allowed by the Bass Pro Tour’s new restrictions during Period 1, but LeBrun began the day where he ended Thursday – a hydrilla flat in the back of a creek – with his transducers turned off.

LeBrun made that call due to the heavy fishing pressure in the area. More than half the field has congregated in one creek, and this particular grass flat has been especially crowded when anglers aren’t using forward-facing sonar. With an early boat number Friday, LeBrun wanted to beat the crowd to the spot and catch as many fish as he could before they got too beat up.

“I knew that I was going to be fishing to win the round, and a lot of times, prespawn fish or fish that are wintering in a creek, they’ll bite right at daylight,” LeBrun explained. “So, I decided to go get in the mix in that grass with those other guys, because I knew I was boat No. 2, and I knew I could get in there and get whatever spot I wanted to get on.”

LeBrun is already seeing the effects of that fishing pressure. Still, he managed to boat seven bass for 16-15, which had him in second place at the end of the opening frame.

“I had a few fish that would absolutely just smoke the bait, but I’d set the hook, and I’d have them on a second or two and they’d come off,” he said. “Yesterday, you couldn’t beat one off with a hammer. So, I’m seeing the fish just react a little bit different. Some of them are kind of just swiping at it. So, yeah, the pressure is taking its toll. A lot of them have got holes in their mouth.”

LeBrun then opted to move offshore and use forward-facing sonar in Period 2. He had to battle some wind but added 10 bass for nearly 25 pounds to his total. That was enough to take a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.

LeBrun admitted he’s concerned about the mounting pressure on both his grass and offshore spots. However, he still feels like the event can be won from the creek where he’s done all his damage – if an angler finds something to make himself stand out.

“You’re going to have to find a few little key casts, a few key boat positions, and you’re going to have to get a little lucky with Mother Nature and have a few fresh fish move in there,” LeBrun said. “If you can get a few fresh fish coming to you and have a few key boat positions, I think that you could make it happen.”

LeBrun will use Saturday to fine-tune his Championship Round strategy. He won’t be all business, though. His wife and children are planning to make the drive to Conroe and he’s excited to spend some time with them.

“I can’t wait to see them,” LeBrun said. “Just going to be taking it easy, and definitely going to sleep in tomorrow.”

Friday’s Berkley Big Bass Award went to Marshall Hughes of Hemphill, Texas, who boated a chunky 7-11 largemouth in Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

Anglers arrive each morning at 5:30 a.m. CT to the Outlets at Conroe, located at 1111 League Line Road. The Bass Pro Tour trailering policy has been enacted for this event, so anglers will depart the Outlets each morning at 6:30 a.m. to one of five optional launch ramps located around the fishery. Anglers will return to the Outlets at Conroe each evening, following the end of competition 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 MLFNOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney break down the extended action live on each day of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

The tournament features anglers competing with a 1 1/2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.



Day 2 Standings

(Figure at far right indicates weight of angler’s heaviest fish for the day)

1. Nick LeBrun -- 83-06 (38) -- 51-12 (22) -- 135-02 (60) -- 4-03

2. Spencer Shuffield -- 69-01 (27) -- 55-02 (24) -- 124-03 (51) -- 3-13

3. Justin Cooper -- 27-09 (13) -- 93-04 (38) -- 120-13 (51) -- 6-04

4. Jake Lawrence -- 53-06 (20) -- 67-02 (22) -- 120-08 (42) -- 7-00

5. Jacob Wall -- 36-01 (15) -- 65-02 (27) -- 101-03 (42) -- 4-12

6. Dustin Connell -- 53-07 (23) -- 47-08 (20) -- 100-15 (43) -- 5-08

7. Jacob Wheeler -- 58-01 (24) -- 41-08 (17) -- 99-09 (41) -- 4-14

8. Todd Faircloth -- 56-08 (23) -- 41-09 (16) -- 98-01 (39) -- 5-00

9. Drew Gill -- 59-00 (25) -- 38-13 (17) -- 97-13 (42) -- 3-02

10. Justin Lucas -- 49-05 (20) -- 46-01 (21) -- 95-06 (41) -- 3-02

11. Takahiro Omori -- 74-08 (28) -- 20-09 (9) -- 95-01 (37) -- 3-08

12. Ron Nelson -- 60-03 (28) -- 32-05 (15) -- 92-08 (43) -- 3-00

13. Colby Miller -- 44-03 (19) -- 48-00 (20) -- 92-03 (39) -- 4-05

14. Cole Floyd -- 25-04 (12) -- 64-11 (28) -- 89-15 (40) -- 3-05

15. Zack Birge -- 25-00 (12) -- 64-13 (27) -- 89-13 (39) -- 4-12

16. Wesley Strader -- 41-03 (16) -- 41-07 (21) -- 82-10 (37) -- 2-13

17. Ott DeFoe -- 39-15 (18) -- 42-10 (20) -- 82-09 (38) -- 5-10

18. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 45-09 (22) -- 35-08 (16) -- 81-01 (38) -- 3-08

19. Alton Jones Jr. -- 30-04 (11) -- 50-05 (20) -- 80-09 (31) -- 4-08

20. Martin Villa -- 53-03 (23) -- 27-03 (13) -- 80-06 (36) -- 2-14

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

21. Mark Rose -- 50-15 (21) -- 28-14 (13) -- 79-13 (34) -- 3-14

22. Brent Ehrler -- 28-01 (12) -- 51-07 (23) -- 79-08 (35) -- 5-06

23. Jeff Sprague -- 45-00 (15) -- 33-01 (17) -- 78-01 (32) -- 3-09

24. Michael Neal -- 26-04 (10) -- 48-14 (19) -- 75-02 (29) -- 4-06

25. Bradley Roy -- 31-11 (15) -- 40-07 (18) -- 72-02 (33) -- 4-02

26. John Hunter -- 27-09 (13) -- 43-12 (19) -- 71-05 (32) -- 4-06

27. Dean Rojas -- 29-05 (13) -- 41-13 (21) -- 71-02 (34) -- 3-07

28. Britt Myers -- 36-13 (15) -- 33-07 (13) -- 70-04 (28) -- 4-00

29. Edwin Evers -- 46-01 (19) -- 21-11 (10) -- 67-12 (29) -- 2-15

30. Marshall Robinson -- 31-10 (14) -- 35-14 (12) -- 67-08 (26) -- 6-00

31. Jeremy Lawyer -- 38-07 (16) -- 27-10 (11) -- 66-01 (27) -- 4-06

32. Jesse Wiggins -- 36-01 (16) -- 27-02 (13) -- 63-03 (29) -- 3-00

33. Matt Becker -- 17-08 (8) -- 44-08 (20) -- 62-00 (28) -- 3-04

34. Adrian Avena -- 25-11 (12) -- 34-15 (15) -- 60-10 (27) -- 4-06

35. Mark Davis -- 46-07 (18) -- 12-01 (6) -- 58-08 (24) -- 2-04

36. Fred Roumbanis -- 40-11 (16) -- 15-07 (7) -- 56-02 (23) -- 2-13

37. Dave Lefebre -- 26-13 (12) -- 28-15 (14) -- 55-12 (26) -- 3-04

38. Chris Lane -- 23-01 (10) -- 30-11 (11) -- 53-12 (21) -- 4-09

39. Marshall Hughes -- 22-07 (11) -- 28-15 (10) -- 51-06 (21) -- 7-11

40. James Elam -- 32-08 (12) -- 16-04 (8) -- 48-12 (20) -- 3-05

41. Bryan Thrift -- 22-09 (7) -- 24-00 (10) -- 46-09 (17) -- 3-07

42. Terry Scroggins -- 27-06 (10) -- 18-13 (7) -- 46-03 (17) -- 5-10

43. Andy Montgomery -- 24-12 (13) -- 21-03 (8) -- 45-15 (21) -- 4-11

44. Luke Clausen -- 18-01 (9) -- 27-06 (12) -- 45-07 (21) -- 4-15

45. Bobby Lane -- 25-11 (12) -- 19-11 (8) -- 45-06 (20) -- 5-00

46. Marty Robinson -- 17-09 (8) -- 23-02 (11) -- 40-11 (19) -- 3-11

47. Greg Vinson -- 27-10 (13) -- 11-08 (5) -- 39-02 (18) -- 3-03

48. Anthony Gagliardi -- 10-06 (2) -- 28-11 (14) -- 39-01 (16) -- 2-07

49. Brandon Coulter -- 17-14 (8) -- 20-05 (9) -- 38-03 (17) -- 3-09

50. Brent Chapman -- 11-14 (7) -- 26-03 (10) -- 38-01 (17) -- 5-06

51. Gary Klein -- 23-15 (9) -- 13-08 (6) -- 37-07 (15) -- 3-01

52. Nick Hatfield -- 17-01 (8) -- 19-07 (9) -- 36-08 (17) -- 3-04

53. Fletcher Shryock -- 24-09 (11) -- 11-03 (5) -- 35-12 (16) -- 2-14

54. Casey Ashley -- 12-05 (7) -- 19-01 (7) -- 31-06 (14) -- 3-14

55. Skeet Reese -- 17-07 (7) -- 13-13 (4) -- 31-04 (11) -- 5-08

56. Josh Bertrand -- 13-14 (7) -- 17-04 (8) -- 31-02 (15) -- 3-04

57. Keith Carson -- 12-15 (4) -- 16-05 (8) -- 29-04 (12) -- 2-11

58. Andy Morgan -- 11-14 (5) -- 16-07 (5) -- 28-05 (10) -- 6-04

59. David Walker -- 19-09 (9) -- 8-02 (4) -- 27-11 (13) -- 2-08

60. Jared Lintner -- 18-02 (8) -- 9-07 (4) -- 27-09 (12) -- 3-12

61. Dylan Hays -- 20-03 (8) -- 1-15 (1) -- 22-02 (9) -- 1-15

62. Keith Poche -- 20-06 (9) -- 1-08 (1) -- 21-14 (10) -- 1-08

63. David Dudley -- 12-13 (5) -- 8-14 (4) -- 21-11 (9) -- 2-12

64. Shin Fukae -- 17-01 (7) -- 3-14 (2) -- 20-15 (9) -- 2-05

65. Alton Jones -- 6-10 (4) -- 10-06 (3) -- 17-00 (7) -- 4-10

66. Gerald Spohrer -- 5-11 (3) -- 1-13 (1) -- 7-08 (4) -- 1-13