Brandon Lester, who earned his first B.A.S.S. win earlier this year at a Southern Open on Kissimmee, seems to have very much enjoyed that experience. After claiming the lead here at Pickwick yesterday, he held onto it again today, extending his margin from 1-05 to 3-06.
Of course, Day 3 leads don’t pay the bills in the way that Day 4 margins do, and the 3-06 margin is just one bite.
Still, it’s better to have that lead than to have to make up the deficit. Furthermore, he’s fighting for more than just his first Elite win. He’s also putting himself in position to make a run at his first AOY title. Tomorrow is a big day for the quiet Tennessee pro, a chance to take his career from solid to superlative.
Here’s what I noticed as I watched the coverage of Day 3:
Twenties – After producing six bags of 20 pounds or more on Day 1, the Elites brought only three of them to the scales yesterday. Today’s halved field got things headed back in the right direction with six more of them. Brandon Lester (Days 1, 2, and 3) and Matt Robertson (Days 1 and 3) are the only anglers who’ve reached that mark two or more times.
The Joy of Fishing – There are plenty of “businesslike” anglers at the pro level who can catch lots of bass, but don’t necessarily make for great television. That’s why it was such a joy to have both John Cox and Taku Ito – two anglers who clearly enjoy every moment on the water – on camera today. There’s no pretense or effect involved with either of them. Instead, they just love to fish, kind of like a Steve Kennedy. As Davy Hite said of Ito: “He wears not being powerful as a badge of honor.” In order to be the best at anything you have to have a certain amount of ego, but the lack of posturing is refreshing. Even on stage, after weighing in an underwhelming 11-04 and falling out of the cut, Ito still smiled.
Back On ‘Em – After a great first day that had him in the lead, Matt Robertson struggled on Day 2 with four fish and fell to 18th. Through much of Day 3, Bass Trakk seemed to indicate that he was destined to become one of a list of Day 1 Wonders – but a 5-pounder caught on his last cast at 2:31 moved him back up the charts and into the cut. He “snuck” in with 53-08, just 2-06 ahead of 11th place angler Austin Felix. That marks Robertson’s third top 20 finish in a row and second Day 4 appearance in the past three events.
Foreshadowing? – “That’s the kind of crazy stuff that happens when you win,” John Cox, after landing a 4-pounder that had him stuck in a brush pile on light line. He ended the day in 5th, just under 7 pounds out of the lead. He’s won two Opens, but his best Elite Series finish was 3rd in Knoxville last year. This week marks his remarkable fourth Day 4 appearance of 2022. He’s made every Day 3 cut.
2021 vs. 2022 – Brandon Palaniuk and Bryan Schmitt are the only anglers in this year’s top ten who made the top ten last year at Pickwick.
Quietly Zaldaingerous – Chris Zaldain has been inside the Classic cut all year but for a flashy, big-bait fanatic it has been a quiet campaign. He finished 32nd, 40th, 20th, 55th, and 40th in the first five Elite events. In other words, he’s made four cuts to Day 3, but none to Day 4. That changed today when he slapped a tournament-best 22-08 on the scales and vaulted up from 16th to 6th.
South Dakota Experience — Throughout this week’s broadcast, the B.A.S.S. team has repeatedly stressed that the upcoming tournament on Lake Oahe is a wild card in the remainder of the schedule. While past performance is no guarantee of future results, here’s a list of current Elites who did well in that tournament:
| Clifford Pirch | 3rd |
| Caleb Sumrall | 13th |
| David Fritts | 14th |
| Paul Mueller | 16th |
| Jason Williamson | 19th |
| Brandon Palaniuk | 21st |
| Jake Whitaker | 25th |
| Jacob Powroznik | 26th |
| Chad Pipkens | 28th |
| Mike Iaconelli | 29th |
| Jason Christie | 30th |
Cringeworthy Moment of Day 3 – On a day where we watched Cody Huff get a flutter spoon’s treble deep in his leg (while still attached to the bass he’d just caught), the most painful thing to watch might have been Jacob Foutz’s attempt to boat flip a solid fish he’d just hooked on a Strike King 10XD. The fish had both trebles in its mouth, but the awkward placement by the console allowed it to wriggle free. At least Huff could use the “braided line trick” to back out the hook. Foutz had no similar way to undo what he’d done.
Victory at Sea – Ray Hanselman on Pickwick’s heavy boat traffic today: “It kinda looked like the lake on Caddyshack.”
How Tough Was It? – Austin Felix said that finding the optimal combination of locations and timing meant “It’s 3D chess out there.”
Asked But Not Answered – Where was Mercer?
