UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. (June 9, 2023) – Bass Pro Tour angler Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas, caught 13 scorable bass Friday, with his best five weighing 24 pounds, 9 ounces to win the two-day Qualifying Group B round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Stage Five tournament on Cayuga Lake. Shuffield’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 50 pounds, 10 ounces, earned him the victory by a 10-ounce margin and advances him, along with the remaining top 20 pros from Group B, into Saturday’s Knockout Round of competition.
Cayuga Lake, however, was the real star of the tournament on Friday as the fishery absolutely showed out with numerous limits of huge, healthy smallmouth and largemouth bass being caught. Of the 40 anglers that were competing Friday, 35 of them weighed in five-bass limits greater than 20 pounds – an astonishing figure that had MLFNOW! broadcaster J.T. Kenney calling Cayuga Lake the ‘Big Bass Factory of the North.”
Favorite Fishing pro Matt Becker of Ten Mile, Tennessee, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 50 pounds even to end the round in second place, and Heavy Hitters 2023 Champion Alton Jones Jr., of Waco, Texas, finished the round in third place with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 48-12. Day 1 leader Cody Meyer of Star, Idaho, finished the round in fourth place with a two-day total of 10 bass for 47-11. Rounding out the top five was Mark Rose of Wynne, Arkansas, who caught 26-2 on Friday to finish with a two-day total of 10 bass for 47-6 and advance in fifth place.
The remaining 40 anglers – the top 20 from each group – now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round, where weights are zeroed, and the anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to the Championship Round on Sunday. Weights will carry over from the Knockout Round into the Championship Round, which will feature the final 10 anglers competing for the heaviest two-day cumulative total and the top prize of $100,000.
“Today was a very productive day,” Shuffield said in his post-game interview. “I broke 50 pounds and that’s what I really wanted to do – break 50 with all smallmouth – and we did it. It was a great day, and I can’t wait to get back out here again tomorrow.”
Like the majority of the field, Shuffield sight-fished for smallmouth bass on Friday, and he caught his fish drop-shotting a Strike King Baby Z-Too.
“I’ve been throwing the chartreuse color called siren, but I honestly don’t think color even matters,” Shuffield said. “I threw it on an Ark Reinforcer 7-foot, 3-inch medium-light rod paired with 15-pound Yo-Zuri SuperBraid line and an 8-pound Yo-Zuri T7 Premium fluorocarbon leader. I just worked down the bank, finding big smallmouth on beds.”
After catching his limit, Shuffield was able to spend the rest of the afternoon scouting new areas and looking for smallmouth to target during the Knockout Round.
“I marked probably 8 or 9 more bass over 5 pounds, and one that was for sure over 6+,” Shuffield said. “And the 6-pounder is sneaky, so I feel really good about that one.
“The guy that wins this thing is going to be the guy that finds them again tomorrow in the Knockout Round,” Shuffield went on to say. “The key will be finding a stretch that a bunch of guys aren’t already fishing, and then find 4 to 7 good ones on it. If you can find the smallmouth, they’re absolutely ready and willing to bite. I’m looking forward to it.”
The top 20 pros from Group B that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Cayuga Lake are:
1st: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 50-10
2nd: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 10 bass, 50-0
3rd: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 48-12
4th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 10 bass, 47-11
5th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 10 bass, 47-6
6th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 47-3
7th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 10 bass, 47-0
8th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 46-6
9th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 45-2
10th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 10 bass, 44-12
11th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 10 bass, 44-9
12th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 44-3
13th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 10 bass, 44-3
14th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 10 bass, 44-1
15th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 44-0
16th: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 43-6
17th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 10 bass, 43-1
18th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 42-12
19th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 42-7
20th: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 10 bass, 42-6
Eliminated from competition are:
21st: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 42-2
22nd: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 10 bass, 41-10
23rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 41-3
24th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-2
25th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 40-12
26th: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., 10 bass, 40-10
27th: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 40-10
28th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 10 bass, 40-9
29th: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 40-7
30th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 39-15
31st: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., eight bass, 39-8
32nd: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 39-8
33rd: Randall Tharp, Port Saint Joe, Fla., 10 bass, 39-0
34th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 38-9
35th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 37-12
36th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 37-11
37th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 35-15
38th: Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 10 bass, 35-10
39th: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 10 bass, 33-2
40th: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., eight bass, 30-15
Overall, there were 319 scorable bass weighing 1,251 pounds, 1 ounce caught by the 40 pros Friday, which included 55 5-pounders, four 6-pounders and two 7-pounders.
Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was awarded to pro Takahiro Omori, who weighed in a 7-pound, 2-ounce smallmouth which bit his drop-shot rig in Period 2. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
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Major League Fishing (MLF) Archive