APALACHICOLA, Fla. — The mental calculation of when to stay/when to go required a different formula than it did on Day 1, but Michael Frenette and Mark Robinson made the numbers work.
In so doing, they tallied a two-day total of 23 pounds, 6 ounces and took over the Day 2 lead at the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter at Apalachicola Bay.
After placing third with a first-round limit of 10-2, Frenette and Robinson added 13-4 — the event’s biggest limit. Heading into Championship Sunday, the leaders hold a 1-pound advantage over the hybrid team of Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Palaniuk and redfish pro Chris Cenci.
“That feels pretty good,” Robinson said of his team’s ascension. “Our fish cooperated a little today. It wasn’t fast and furious; we just stuck to our plan and got two of the right bites.”
Day 1 saw Frenette and Robinson spending several hours at the Government Cut jetties, but their efforts yielded only a couple of missed opportunities and one bull red that was outside the 18- to 27-inch slot limit. After stretching their patience, pulling the plug and running to their other area got them on the board in short order.
The second round brought better tidal conditions for the jetties, and while Robinson was measuring and weighing a small keeper, Frenette stuck a difference-maker that would go 7-4.
That big red and a few more slot-size fish bit 1-ounce jigging spoons. As Frenette explained, success required a presentation similar to the enticing flutter of an offshore slow-pitch jig technique.
“We’re fishing baitcasters, dropping straight down, and we’re (pulling) the jigs up 5 to 6 feet and then letting them flutter back to the bottom,” he said. “We’re just yo-yoing the jigs. Those jetty fish are right on the bottom and they’re hitting the bait somewhere on the fall.”
After the jetties failed to give up any more of the size they needed, Frenette and Robinson transitioned to their second objective — a shallow sandy edge adjacent to deep water. This spot treated them well on Day 1, but their late-morning arrival on Day 2 found unfavorably turbid conditions.
“We pulled up to our spot and we knew it wasn’t right; it was chocolate milk,” Robinson said. “We left and gave it time to calm down, and that made all the difference because the water had cleared up when we came back, and it was right.”
As Frenette notes, they needed the outgoing tide to pull the dirty water off their area, and once that happened the fish moved up to feed. Shortly after their arrival, Robinson caught a 6-pounder on a 1/2-ounce weedless gold spoon.
“When we got to our (second) spot, it was junk … totally terrible,” Frenette said. “We could have fished it and just pressured a spot where we weren’t going to see the fish anyway.
“But we were smart enough and calm enough and patient enough to know that when the tide started to drop the spot would clear up. Sure enough, when the water fell enough the water clarity changed just like that.”
The leaders are no strangers to redfish tournament competition, but Robinson said he and Frenette are looking forward to one more chance to claim what he termed the biggest title in their world.
“I think we have a really good shot,” Robinson said. “I thought we could do what we did today on Day 1, so it’s all up in the air. But I guarantee we’re gonna cast at ’em, and if I get my bite and he gets his bite, I think we’re there.”
Acknowledging the enormity of the moment, Frenette said they’ll manage the pressure by treating the final round of competition like another day at the office.
“I’ve been doing this a very long time with my daddy (renowned Venice, La., guide/lodge owner Capt. Mike Frenette) so the nerves are gone,” he said. “The competition, the heat of the moment, the wanting to win — that’s all still alive, but there’s no pressure because Mark and I work so well together.
“We’re both guides, so it’s just the same thing we do every day. We’ll just go fishing and try to have a good day.”
Palaniuk and Cenci got off to a solid start with a fourth-place limit of 9-6. Adding 13-0, they pulled themselves within striking distance by moving up to second place with 22-6.
Palaniuk said a 1/2-ounce Z-Man Chatterbait Jackhammer in the golden shiner color and a 4.75 X Zone Lures Swammer fooled both of their fish. The biggest — a 7-4 — bit around 10:15 and dramatically changed the anglers’ stats and their outlook.
“That one was a blast. I’m not a big guy, but that 7-pounder absolutely whooped me today,” Palaniuk said. “At that point, we only had one measurable fish, and it was 2 pounds, 3 ounces, so catching a 7-pounder gave us more than what we had yesterday.
“That just gave us a huge boost of confidence to say, ‘Even if we go catch a 4-pounder, we have a shot to win.’ What it really did was it opened the door for us to go explore more today. We got to eliminate some water, and we learned some stuff for tomorrow that we think will help.”
Cenci said low water allowed him and Palaniuk to see redfish pushing wakes. Observing their movements allowed him to deduce that the fish were gathering around sandy points. This focus allowed them to pick off another big one that weighed nearly 6 pounds.
Gary Moreno and Tony Viator are in third with 19-8. Making a big move up from ninth place, they bolstered their opening round weight of 7-14 with a Day 2 limit that weighed 11-10.
“We started off doing the same thing we did yesterday, and it wasn’t working out; the tide was just dead,” Viator said. “So, we made a move to an area 20 miles away and started checking spots. We finally got into a (productive) spot and caught a 5 and a 6-10 in 5 minutes.
“After that, the tide turned and the spot shut down. Hopefully, tomorrow we can get in that area earlier with the tide and maybe we can put something together.”
Moreno said transitioning to what he called their strength — sight fishing — saved their day. He and Viator caught their fish on 1/2-ounce silver spoons.
“We found a few fish here and there, and all of a sudden a school popped up and we just went to whacking on them,” Moreno said. “We went from a 5-pound bag to what we weighed in about 6 minutes.”
Sunday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. ET at Scipio Creek Marina. The weigh-in will be held at the marina at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday’s tournament coverage begins at 8 a.m. on FS1 and runs through 12:30 p.m. Sunday’s LIVE coverage will continue on Bassmaster.com. All coverage times are ET.
The local sponsor of the 2024 Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter is Florida’s Forgotten Coast.
