Georgia’s Joshua Weaver Busts 31-Pound Limit to Jump From 61st to 2nd
CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2023) – After breaking the 20-pound limit two days in a row, Phoenix Boats pro Colby Schrumpf of Highland, Illinois, has his eye on the first ever Tackle Warehouse Invitational trophy. Schrumpf brought a five-bass limit to the scales Thursday weighing 25 pounds, 6 ounces to take the Day 2 lead at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational Power-Pole Stop 1 at Lake Okeechobee Presented by Phoenix Boats . Schrumpf’s two-day total of 47 pounds, 5 ounces gives him a slim 1-pound lead over Favorite Fishing pro Joshua Weaver of Macon, Georgia, who caught a giant five-bass limit weighing 31-9 to move into second place.
Link to Photo Gallery of Day 2 Weigh-In Highlights
Link to Video of Fish-Catch Highlights of Day 2 on Lake Okeechobee
The three-day tournament, hosted by the Hendry County Tourism Development Council, features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – for the chance to win up to $300,000.
Schrumpf said he started Day 2 in the same general area as he did the day prior and was ecstatic to see it was still producing.
“I caught 21-15 there yesterday, and probably within the first hour and a half today I had two bass over five pounds in the boat and just slowly culled my way up,” said Schrumpf. “Around midday I was able to catch another good 5½-pounder, then culled up to another 4-pounder after that.”
Schrumpf said he backed off those fish in the afternoon, in hopes they will still be there – and biting – on the final day.
“I headed back to the weigh-in thinking I would probably be within the top five,” said Schrumpf. “I’d conservatively figured I had 23 pounds today, so I was pretty excited when the scales went over 25 pounds.”
Schrumpf said he is throwing mostly moving baits but isn’t afraid to Power-Pole down and pitch when he gets into tighter areas of water.
“I’ve been throwing a vibrating jig quite a bit,” Schrumpf laughed. “Along with half the field.”
Despite having sticks like Michael Neal, Brian Latimer and Florida ace Brett Hite nipping at his heels, Schrumpf said he feels really good going into Championship Friday.
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and as long as the big females keep moving in, I think I’ll have a pretty good opportunity,” Schrumpf said. “My area hasn’t had too many people around it, so as long as I can feel comfortable in that water and not feel pressured to protect areas or have to move around, I feel good.”
The top 50 pros after Day 2 on Lake Okeechobee are:
1st: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., 10 bass, 47-5
2nd: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 46-5
3rd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 44-4
4th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 10 bass, 43-12
5th: Jonathan Dietz, Corry, Pa., 10 bass, 42-10
6th: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 10 bass, 41-14
7th: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 41-10
8th: Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 41-8
9th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-6
10th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 10 bass, 40-11
11th: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., 10 bass, 40-4
12th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 40-2
13th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 39-9
14th: Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, nine bass, 38-4
15th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 37-13
16th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 10 bass, 36-13
17th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 36-7
18th: Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 10 bass, 35-9
19th: Cody Petit, Arundel, Maine, nine bass, 35-6
20th: Joe Wieberg, Freeburg, Mo., 10 bass, 35-5
21st: Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., 10 bass, 34-15
22nd: Marty Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 34-15
23rd: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 34-4
24th: Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., 10 bass, 34-2
25th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-14
26th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 33-9
27th: Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 10 bass, 33-8
28th: Richard Lowitzki, Hampshire, Ill., 10 bass, 32-14
29th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 32-11
30th: William Fletcher, Dallas, Ga., 10 bass, 32-10
31st: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 32-8
32nd: Jacob Wheeler, Birchwood, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-7
33rd: Jim Moynagh, Shakopee, Minn., 10 bass, 32-7
34th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 10 bass, 31-10
35th: Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 31-8
36th: Jesse Millsaps, Jasper, Ga., 10 bass, 31-7
37th: Fred Roumbanis, London, Ark., 10 bass, 31-6
38th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 10 bass, 31-5
39th: Thomas Wooten, Huddleston, Va., 10 bass, 31-5
40th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 31-10
41st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 30-14
42nd: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 30-14
43rd: Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 10 bass, 30-13
44th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 30-12
45th: Frank Kitchens, Oxford, Ga., 10 bass, 30-8
46th: Kyle Weisenburger, Columbus Grove, Ohio, 10 bass, 30-7
47th: Eric Panzironi, Longwood, Fla., 10 bass, 30-7
48th: Kollin Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., 10 bass, 30-6
49th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 30-5
50th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 10 bass, 30-4
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Pro Brian Latimer of Belton, South Carolina won Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a largemouth bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces.
Overall, there were 696 bass weighing 1,971 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 145 pros Thursday. The catch included 129 five-bass limits.
In MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Wednesday and Thursday in a traditional five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 50 pros based on their two-day cumulative weight advance to the final round on Championship Friday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000, including the lucrative $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus for qualified anglers. The winner of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Power-Pole Stop 1 at Lake Okeechobee Presented by Phoenix Boats will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024.
The final 50 anglers will take off at 7 a.m. ET, on Championship Friday, from Roland & Mary Ann Martin’s Marina & Resort located at 920 W. Del Monte Ave. in Clewiston. Weigh-in and trophy presentation will also be held at the marina Friday beginning at 2:50 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the live on-the-water action online on MLF NOW! beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLF NOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET. MLF NOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
The MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Power-Pole Stop 1 at Lake Okeechobee Presented by Phoenix Boats will feature live on-the-water coverage and a two-hour action-packed television show that will premiere on the CBS Sports Network on Saturday, September 30th.
Proud sponsors of the 2023 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Favorite Fishing, Fox Rent a Car, General Tire, Grundéns, Lew’s, Lowrance, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, 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 Invitationals on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook , Instagram and YouTube .