DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (June 3, 2021) – Boater Leslie Brandenburg of Springfield, Missouri, grabbed the early lead Thursday at the 38th annual Bass Fishing League All-American Tournament at Douglas Lake with a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 6 ounces. Behind Brandenburg in second place is Rutherfordton, North Carolina’s Cody Hoyle , who brought five bass to the scale good for 15 pounds, 11 ounces. Brandenburg said that he spent the majority of the day fishing the upper end of the lake, in the river, flipping a jig to a countless number of bushes.
“I’ve only been here one other time – I was a co-angler, and we went up that river and I won a check that time,” said Brandenburg, who is fishing in his 18th career event as a boater in MLF competition. “Sometimes, it just works out and maybe it’s God’s plan. I hope. We’ll know tomorrow. You dang sure can’t win it the first day but you can lose it. Hopefully I can turn this good start into a Top 10.”
One advantage that Brandenburg has this week is his custom-designed boat, made for getting into places that others can’t.
“I brought a boat that I built. It’s an aluminum Xpress. It’s got a hydraulic jack plate, and I built it purposely to get to places where other people can’t go. It’s a rugged old boat and I’m not afraid to tear it up to go catch them,” Brandenburg said. “I’ve got a lot more places to fish, and I think I’ve got enough to carry me through.”
With sunnier conditions being forecast for Friday, Brandenburg is realistic about his chances of weighing in another big bag but said that he does like his chances in what could be a tough day of fishing.
“I don’t think I can have that kind of weight again, but I think I can have a good sack,” the Missouri boater went on to say. “I think I can weigh 12 pounds. If I get lucky and get a good fish or two, I really think I can come in with 12 or 13 pounds a day the next two days and I think I can [win] it.”
The top 10 boaters after day one on Douglas Lake are:
1st: Leslie Brandenburg, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 18-6
2nd: Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., five bass, 15-11
3rd: Blake Tomlin, Greenville, Ga., five bass, 15-7
3rd: Kyle Kitts, Joplin, Mo., five bass, 14-13
5th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-12
6th: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., five bass, 14-4
7th: Austin Culbertson, Moberly, Mo., five bass, 14-2
8th: Eric Olliverson, Lampe, Mo., five bass, 13-12
9th: Brant Grimm, Church Hill, Tenn., five bass, 13-4
10th: Harmon Davis, Marlow, Okla., five bass, 13-1
Overall, there were 239 bass weighing 537 pounds, 12 ounces, caught by 49 boaters Thursday. The catch included 46 five-bass limits.
Rod MacKinnon III of Middletown, New York, leads the Co-angler Division with four bass weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces, followed by Chase Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Missouri, in second place with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Rod MacKinnon III, Middletown, N.Y., four bass, 13-6
2nd: Chase Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., five bass, 11-8
3rd: Lenny Bays, Bethel Island, Calif., five bass, 11-6
4th: James Jarvis, Athens, Ga., five bass, 11-5
4th: Rex Henry, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 11-5
6th: Chris Gebhardt, Shelbyville, Ind., five bass, 10-13
7th: Dustin Elrod, Cushing, Okla., five bass, 10-9
8th: Ken Coats, Greenup, Ill., five bass, 10-7
9th: Travis Garrett, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 10-2
10th: Dax Liner, Eddyville, Ky., five bass, 9-13
Overall, there were 203 bass weighing 353 pounds, 9 ounces, caught by 49 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 28 five-bass limits.
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