MONROE-WEST MONROE, La. (April 28, 2023) – Pro Randy Howell of Guntersville, Alabama, caught a 6-pound, 4-ounce largemouth Friday afternoon at the MLF tournament on Caney Creek Reservoir – the largest bass weighed on the day – to win the $50,000 Big Bass Bonus at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Heavy Hitters. Howell finished the day in first place with a total of eight bass weighing 29-4 and along with the top eight finishers now earns his way into Saturday’s final-day Championship Round on Bussey Brake and a shot at the $100,000 top prize, along with the $100,000 Big Bass Bonus.
The six-day all-star event, hosted by Discover Monroe-West Monroe and the Louisiana Office of Tourism, showcases the top 30 pros that qualified via the Bass Pro Tour competing in a no-entry fee tournament for a purse of more than $500,000, including numerous massive Big Bass Bonuses and a payout of $100,000 to the winner.
“Man, that was fun,” Howell said in his post-game interview. “I’ve had so many days lately that aren’t fun. Days that just don’t go right. This year at the Bass Pro Tour at Douglas Lake I was in first place after the first day, and I fell all the way to 21st place and was the first one out of the cut. All I had to do was catch one little scorable bass, and for two hours I couldn’t catch one. So, days like that are the days that frustrate you, but days like today are what make it all worth it.
“It’s been a lot of fun today – it was a sight-fishing day for us,” Howell continued. “We got one this morning, just roaming, on shad, and then the rest of the day was spent sight fishing. I think we caught everything today on the (Yamamoto) Flappin’ Hog and one on a lizard. But the Flappin’ Hog has been the deal.”
When Howell caught his 6-pound, 4-ounce Big Bass in Period 2, he had no idea that it would hold up to be the Knockout Round $50,000 Big Bass Winner.
“I was just roaming around, finding a new fish here and there,” Howell said. “I caught that 6-4 and I really didn’t have any idea that would win $50k today. Dakota (Ebare) had caught two 9s (pounders), and there had been 8s caught every day. So, to win with a 6-4 just shows you how tough the fishing was, with the conditions today. I’ve never won that much money for a big fish, before. That is incredible.
“To get the opportunity to go to Bussey Brake tomorrow is just so awesome. I probably worked harder, mentally, on this event than I ever have before, just trying to make sure I got there. And every day, I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. I told my wife last night – I really don’t know what I’m going to do today, but I’m going to pray and trust the Lord, and hopefully just get the right feeling and go to the right place at the right time. And man, it was just a perfect day. I’m so thankful.”
With the Knockout Round now complete, the anglers that finished in 1st through 8th place advance to Saturday’s Championship Round. The Championship Round will feature Group A Qualifying Round winner Bryan Thrift, Group B Qualifying Round Winner Brent Ehrler, and the top eight anglers from the Knockout Round competing in a final-day shootout for the top prize of $100,000 along with the $100,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus.
The top eight pros from the Knockout Round that advance to Saturday’s Championship Round on Bussey Brake are:
1st: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 29-4
2nd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 28-10
3rd: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., seven bass, 23-0
4th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 17-9
5th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., four bass, 13-13
6th: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, four bass, 12-5
7th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., four bass, 10-15
8th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., three bass, 10-7
They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round Winners:
Group A: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.
Group B: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif.
Eliminated from competition after the Knockout Round on Caney Creek Reservoir are:
9th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., three bass, 8-11
10th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., two bass, 6-12
11th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., two bass, 4-4
12th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., one bass, 2-12
13th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., one bass, 2-2
14th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., zero bass, 0-0
Overall, there were 54 bass weighing 170 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 13 pros on Friday, which included two six 6-pounders and three 5-pounders caught from Caney Creek Reservoir.
Big Bass Bonus Award Winners:
Qualifying Round Group A: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas (9-5), $25,000
Qualifying Round Group B: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala. (8-5), $25,000
Knockout Round: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala. (6-4), $50,000
Championship Round: TBD, $100,000
The final 10 anglers will launch at Bussey Brake on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. CT from Bonner Ferry Road, located five miles northwest of Bastrop off of Highway 593. Fans are welcome to attend the launch and takeout events.
https://dev.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/mlf-caney-42823.html
Major League Fishing (MLF) Archive