After a day of recovered sleep and great anticipation, the Elites were back at it today, and Santee Cooper showed out. The reduced field added two 30-pound bags, along with a 27+, 28+ and 29+, and with Championship Monday looming for sneaky office workers everywhere, ladies and gentlemen we have a horse race.
Drew Cook still leads, but what had been a gap of over 7 ½ pounds over past Santee Cooper winner Brandon Palaniuk has shrunk to 4 pounds 6 ounces. Luke Palmer, who slapped a tournament-best 33+ on the scales today came back from 9th place and is now just 3 ounces out of second.
“I’m just glad we have tomorrow,” Brandon Palaniuk told Dave Mercer on stage.
So are we all, BP. So are we all (except maybe Drew Cook and middle managers throughout the bass belt).
Here are some thoughts from a day when I was glued to Bassmaster LIVE:
Rollin’ on Twenties: Fourteen Elites weighed in 20 pound bags on Day 1, and 30 did it on Day 2. Today 22 of the 47 pros competing dropped 20 on the scales. Only Cook, Palaniuk and Cory Johnson have caught that much each day. Cook’s bags have all been 24-3 or more, while Johnston’s biggest bag was 24-2. That explains their 13+ pound gap.
Dirty Thirty: No angler has yet weighed in two 30 pound bags this week, as Drew Cook’s Day 1 bag, Caleb Kuphall’s catch today, and Luke Palmer’s 33-5 monster bag are the only catches to exceed that mark, with several near misses. In 2006, when six anglers topped the century mark, Kelly Jordon (5th place) was the only angler to top 30 pounds on two separate days. Of course, we still have another day for one of those three pros to double down.
Triple Digits: The talk before the tournament was of Century Belts, plural, as in multiple four-day weights over 100 pounds. The lake has the potential to put out a 40 pound bag (remember, Preston Clark led with 39-1 on Day 1 in 2006) , so anyone in the Top 10 (64-13 and up) is technically still in contention to claim the hardware, but it seems unlikely that more than two or three anglers will reach that mark. Cook is less than 20 pounds out and three others are within 27 pounds. Steve Kennedy, who was 4th in 2006, and who finished 14th this week, told Dave Mercer today, “I caught over a hundred here once and didn’t win then, either.”
Starting Strong: Cook is in position to go wire-to-wire, but a strong start did not necessarily produce long-lasting success in this event. Of the anglers who comprised the Top 10 on Day 1, only four will be fishing on Championship Monday – Cook (1st, 1st), Palaniuk (6th to 2nd), Kuphall (2nd to 4th) and Greg Hackney (3rd to 8th).
Kuphall’s What If: With a win already under his belt in his young career, Caleb Kuphall has demonstrated that he likely has a long career ahead of him on the Elite Series, but if he does not win this week then Day 2 may bother him for a long time. He caught 29-10 Thursday and then 31-4 today, but sandwiched in between those two stellar performances was a four fish, 13 pound bag that dropped him to 10th and may have left too big of a hole to catch up. He’s almost seven pounds behind Cook, who has yet to falter, with two other anglers in between them.
Trivia question for the bass geeks among you: If Kuphall tops 100, will he be the first B.A.S.S. pro to do so without weighing in 20 bass?
Oh Canada: Through three regular season tournaments, Cory Johnston became the first Canadian to make a top ten this year. Conversely, this was the first tournament without a Japanese angler in the top ten. Masayuki Matsushita is the only rookie to have made a cut to Day 4.
Sundays and Mondays: John Cox is the only pro to make all three final day cuts in Elite competition this year. Drew Benton and David Mullins have each made two.
Hack Attack 16 Years Later: Greg Hackney is the only pro who made the final cut in 2006 (he was 11th, back when the cut used to go down to 12) who also made it this week. Steve Kennedy, who finished 4th in 2006, missed the cut by less than 3 pounds this week.
Quote of the Day (First World Problems Version): “It’s easier to catch a 4-pounder than a 2-pounder.” Brad Whatley on Bass Live Mix, talking about Santee Cooper.
Quote of the Day (Great Expectations Version): “That’s not even the big one.” Drew Cook, upon catching a 7-pounder shortly before noon.
Fishing Term of the Day: Gollywhopper