While a combination of largemouth and smallmouth bass rolled across the weigh-in stage Friday, it seems brown fish may take the trophy this week at the sixth and final regular-season Pro Circuit event, where 154 of the world’s best bass fishing professionals are competing for a top prize of up to $135,000.
“Things kicked off on my very first cast and I had a blast this morning,” Hall said. “I ran to my first spot and had a limit within 10 to 15 minutes, with a total of 17 to 18 pounds right off the bat, including three fish that were close to 4-pounders.
“I hit two or three more spots before I landed on a school that I’d found in practice and it lit up,” Hall continued. “I culled several times on that spot and there were actually more fish today than I’d found in practice, so I think they are coming into the area.”
Hall said he spent most of Day 1 dissecting the fishery with his Garmin Livescope, targeting bass with a drop-shot and a swimbait, in 15 to 30 feet of water.
“My goal today was 20 pounds, and we got that, then caught two more that put me over, so I’m feeling really good going into Day 2,” Hall said. “There were a lot of fish in the first area that I hit. I think if I stay there, I can definitely get 20 pounds, but I didn’t want to waste a bunch of fish on the first day.”
However, with a solid group of anglers nipping at his heels, Hall said he didn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.
“I’m not in the points race, so I’m in it to win it this week,” he continued. “With weights zeroing on Championship Monday, I’m not too concerned with building a big lead. I’m just concentrating on staying in contention for the final day and I’m ready to get back out there on Day 2.”
The top 20 pros after Day 1 on Lake Champlain are:
2nd: Casey Scanlon of Eldon, Mo., five bass, 21-8
3rd: Evan Barnes of Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 21-2
4th: Andy Newcomb of Camdenton, Mo., five bass, 20-14
5th: Cole Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 20-9
5th: Matt Becker of Finleyville, Pa., five bass, 20-9
7th: Kyle Cortiana of Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 20-8
8th: Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., five bass, 20-1
9th: Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Del., five bass, 20-0
10th: Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 19-13
11th: Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., five bass, 19-8
12th: Mark Rose of Wynne, Ark., five bass, 19-7
13th: Alex Davis of Albertville, Ala., five bass, 19-6
14th: Braxton Setzer of Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 19-5
14th: Scott Wiley of Bay Minette, Ala., five bass, 19-5
16th: Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 19-2
16th: Lane Olson of Forest Grove, Ore., five bass, 19-2
18th: Larry Nixon of Quitman, Ark., five bass, 19-0
19th: Jason Reyes of Huffman, Texas, five bass, 18-12
19th: Brandon Mosley of Choctaw, Okla., five bass, 18-12
Goodwin brought a largemouth weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces to the scale to win the day’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award.
Overall, there were 752 bass weighing 2,417 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 154 pros Friday. The catch included 143 five-bass limits.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X is hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.
In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of anglers compete in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday. The top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to Sunday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition on Monday, where weights are zeroed, and the winner is determined by the heaviest weight from the final day of competition.
Throughout the season, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit TITLE Presented by Mercury, the Pro Circuit Championship, where they will compete for up to $235,000. The 2022 TITLE will be on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York on Aug. 16-21, and is hosted by the Town of Massena.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from the Plattsburgh Waterfront, located at 5 Dock Street in Plattsburgh. Weigh-ins will also be held at the park daily at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action all four days of competition online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Covercraft Stop 6 at Lake Champlain Presented by Wiley X will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere September 3 on the CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Fuel Me, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.