At the start of the day, Kevin VanDam and Brett Hite had different expectations about what it will take to win today in this every-keeper-counts format.
“I think it will take about 25 pounds,” said Hite. “Obviously, if you put my 13 pounds yesterday and Koby Kreiger’s 11 (caught in the same area), I could have 25 to 30 pounds, especially fishing six hours and not laying off of them.
“It’s not like I pull up and catch five real quick. I can catch two or three limits – 12 to 15 fish – and I think I’ll have a good weight.”
Hite hasn’t competed in Major League Fishing, which has a similar format as today. VanDam is a veteran of it, so he might have a better idea of what’s going to happen.
“It’s probably going to take 40 pounds,” VanDam said. “Two 1-pounders weigh the same as one 2-pounder in your final score. It’s all about catching as many as you can.
“In Major League Fishing, we had an event last year where I was 24 pounds down and didn’t have a fish. I came back to win by over 20 pounds.”
So there’s not much point in scoreboard watching for the finalists today. It’s all about just keep catching ’em.