With his dad showing up, Michael Frenette ceded his bed and took the couch last night before perhaps his biggest day of fishing.
Michael, who reported he still “slept like a rock,” and teammate Mark Robinson go into the final day with a 1-pound lead in the Bassmaster Yamaha Redfish Cup presented by Skeeter.
“We’re pretty much stuck on the same game plan,” Robinson said. “We got a little bit of room for error, not much.”
Frenette disagreed.
“I would tell you we don’t,” he said. “We don’t have any room for error. I’m going to pretend that we’re two pounds down, which isn’t going to make us fish any different, but it’s going to make my mind stay where I fish properly.”
Their closest competitors are Chris Cenci and Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Palaniuk, who came in with the event’s biggest bag of 13-4 on Saturday, including a big of 7-4.
“We just need two of those lucky bites again,” Palaniuk said. “You can’t really plan on catching 7-pounders. Those are kind of unicorns, but that’s what it’s going to take.
“We’re in the areas where those fish are living. You just don’t know if you’re going to make that cast when that fish is ready to bite. There’s a lot of things that have to happen right.”
Gary Moreno and Tony Viator start Day 3 in third place, almost four pounds back. In last year’s Redfish Cup, they finished last, catching only one fish on the final day.
“It’s a long shot, but it’s way better than where we were last year,” Moreno said. “Honestly, we’re almost too far to make up. But I’m going to believe in the good Lord. I’m going to do my part.
“We need some luck. Our realistic target weight is 13. We’re shooting for 14 ½.”
Viator said they have hope of obtaining that mark. On Day 2, they found the first schools of redfish reported in the event, and most are above the 27-inch slot.
“The problem with the school we found yesterday is they’re all in the upper slot,” he said. “We have to find two that fit. We have a legitimate chance of getting two 7s.
“These are deep water fish, and they’ll come eat something on top of the flat, then drop back off. The trick for us today is to locate the right one and get a bait in front of him. Do that twice.”
When Big Mike Frenette drove all day to surprise his son, Michael immediately commented that “now the pressure is on.”
“We’re happy,” Robinson said. “He was super happy when Big Mike showed up. That’s what it’s all about.”
In 2006, Mike and Michael Frenette won a Redfish Cup event in Kemah, Texas. Michael’s close to fulfilling his dream of winning this event. He said that comes with plenty of mental stress, a reason he slept so well.
“This is a day when all our dreams could come true. That’s a fact,” he said. “For me, it’s going to be very much dialed in the zone. When the second big fish hits our deck, I’m going to be an emotional wreck.”
