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EUFAULA, Ala. (May 13, 2021) – Pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 8 ounces Thursday to grab the early lead after Day One of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Grundéns Stop 4 Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Eufaula. Pro Jason Abram of Piney Flats, Tennessee, ended the day in second place, just 5 ounces behind Lane after bringing a 20-3 limit to the scale. The fourth stop on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit features bass fishing professionals from around the world competing for a shot to win up to $135,000.
Lake Eufaula was a bit stingy on Day 1 of the event, with only 90 pros catching a limit and less than half the field bringing more than 10 pounds to the stage. However, that didn’t seem to affect Lane or the other anglers atop the leaderboard.
Although he finished the day leading the pack, Lane said the morning did not start as he had anticipated.
“My initial plan was to catch them on a swim jig up on the shad spawn, but with the high winds and lower water levels this morning, it was hard to even keep the bait in the grass,” said Lane. “I thought I’d catch 12 to 15 pounds there easily – that’s what happened every morning during practice – but today it was super muddy and tough.
“Once I realized I wasn’t having any luck, I decided to switch to my back-up plan and run up North. I caught a 4-pound, 8-ounce bass first, followed by a 5-pounder and before I knew it, I had a limit.”
Feeling a little more secure, Lane said he started running waypoints, and to his surprise was able to cull and upgrade fish at every single one.
“At the end of the day, I pulled up in the creek [close to the ramp] and caught a real nice 4-pounder that culled a 2-pound fish, to get me over 20 pounds,” said Lane.
When it comes to his game plan for tomorrow, Lane said he’ll just have to see what Lake Eufaula has to offer and where he needs to adjust.
“I have no idea what tomorrow brings – I went almost three hours today without even a bite, fishing stuff that I should have been getting bit on,” said Lane. “I think they are feeding early so I’m hoping they are moving in and out of the same areas and I can be there to catch them early each day.
“This is the time of year I love to be on the water and I’m doing what I love to do – throwing a swim jig, a frog and flipping. It’s Lake Eufaula, so the fish live shallow year-round. I’m just hoping I can fish clean tomorrow and go out there and have fun.
“If I catch them tomorrow, I catch them, and if not, I caught enough today to probably survive and get a decent finish no matter what.”
The top 10 pros after Day 1 on Lake Eufaula are:
1st: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 20-8
2nd: Jason Abram, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 20-3
3rd: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 19-2
4th: Evan Barnes, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 18-6
5th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 18-3
6th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 17-4
7th: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., five bass, 16-13
8th: Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W.Va., five bass, 16-6
9th: Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn., five bass, 16-4
10th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 16-0
For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Abram won the day’s $500 Berkley Big Bass award in the pro division after bringing a largemouth weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces to the scale.
Overall, there were 637 bass weighing 1,522 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 157 pros Thursday. The catch included 90 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Grundens Stop 4 Presented by A.R.E. at Lake Eufaula is hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Thursday and Friday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2021 TITLE will be on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 17-22, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from Lakepoint Resort State Park, located at 104 Lakepoint Drive in Eufaula. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 3 p.m. Fans are encouraged to follow the action online through the MLF NOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Grundens Stop 4 Presented by A.R.E. – Lake Eufaula event will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the Outdoor Channel on Sunday, August 22 from 7 to 9 a.m. ET and re-air on the Sportsman Channel this fall. Weigh-ins will be streamed daily and fans can catch live on-the-water action all day Saturday and Sunday, May 15-16 on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. CT at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the MLF BIG5’s social media outlets at Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and YouTube .