CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2023) – After breaking the 20-pound limit two days in a row, Phoenix Boats pro Colby Schrumpf of Highland, Illinois, has his eye on the first ever Tackle Warehouse Invitational trophy. Schrumpf brought a five-bass limit to the scales Thursday weighing 25 pounds, 6 ounces to take the Day 2 lead at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 1 Tournament at Lake Okeechobee. Schrumpf’s two-day total of 47 pounds, 5 ounces gives him a slim 1-pound lead over Favorite Fishing pro Joshua Weaver of Macon, Georgia, who caught a giant five-bass limit weighing 31-9 to move into second place.
The three-day tournament, hosted by the Hendry County Tourism Development Council, features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2024 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – for the chance to win up to $300,000.
Schrumpf said he started Day 2 in the same general area as he did the day prior and was ecstatic to see it was still producing.
“I caught 21-15 there yesterday, and probably within the first hour and a half today I had two bass over five pounds in the boat and just slowly culled my way up,” said Schrumpf. “Around midday I was able to catch another good 5½-pounder, then culled up to another 4-pounder after that.”
Schrumpf said he backed off those fish in the afternoon, in hopes they will still be there – and biting – on the final day.
“I headed back to the weigh-in thinking I would probably be within the top five,” said Schrumpf. “I’d conservatively figured I had 23 pounds today, so I was pretty excited when the scales went over 25 pounds.”
Schrumpf said he is throwing mostly moving baits but isn’t afraid to Power-Pole down and pitch when he gets into tighter areas of water.
“I’ve been throwing a vibrating jig quite a bit,” Schrumpf laughed. “Along with half the field.”
Despite having sticks like Michael Neal, Brian Latimer and Florida ace Brett Hite nipping at his heels, Schrumpf said he feels really good going into Championship Friday.
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and as long as the big females keep moving in, I think I’ll have a pretty good opportunity,” Schrumpf said. “My area hasn’t had too many people around it, so as long as I can feel comfortable in that water and not feel pressured to protect areas or have to move around, I feel good.”
The top 50 pros after Day 2 on Lake Okeechobee are:
1st: Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., 10 bass, 47-5
2nd: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 46-5
3rd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 44-4
4th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 10 bass, 43-12
5th: Jonathan Dietz, Corry, Pa., 10 bass, 42-10
6th: Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 10 bass, 41-14
7th: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 41-10
8th: Michael Harlin, Sunrise Beach, Mo., 10 bass, 41-8
9th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-6
10th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 10 bass, 40-11
11th: Tai Au, Glendale, Ariz., 10 bass, 40-4
12th: Rusty Salewske, Alpine, Calif., 10 bass, 40-2
13th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 39-9
14th: Jacopo Gallelli, Florence, Italy, nine bass, 38-4
15th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 37-13
16th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 10 bass, 36-13
17th: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 36-7
18th: Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 10 bass, 35-9
19th: Cody Petit, Arundel, Maine, nine bass, 35-6
20th: Joe Wieberg, Freeburg, Mo., 10 bass, 35-5
21st: Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., 10 bass, 34-15
22nd: Marty Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 34-15
23rd: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 10 bass, 34-4
24th: Cameron Mattison, Benton, La., 10 bass, 34-2
25th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-14
26th: Kyle Hall, Granbury, Texas, 10 bass, 33-9
27th: Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 10 bass, 33-8
28th: Richard Lowitzki, Hampshire, Ill., 10 bass, 32-14
29th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 32-11
30th: William Fletcher, Dallas, Ga., 10 bass, 32-10
31st: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 32-8
32nd: Jacob Wheeler, Birchwood, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-7
33rd: Jim Moynagh, Shakopee, Minn., 10 bass, 32-7
34th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 10 bass, 31-10
35th: Braxton Setzer, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 31-8
36th: Jesse Millsaps, Jasper, Ga., 10 bass, 31-7
37th: Fred Roumbanis, London, Ark., 10 bass, 31-6
38th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 10 bass, 31-5
39th: Thomas Wooten, Huddleston, Va., 10 bass, 31-5
40th: Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 10 bass, 31-10
41st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 30-14
42nd: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 30-14
43rd: Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 10 bass, 30-13
44th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 30-12
45th: Frank Kitchens, Oxford, Ga., 10 bass, 30-8
46th: Kyle Weisenburger, Columbus Grove, Ohio, 10 bass, 30-7
47th: Eric Panzironi, Longwood, Fla., 10 bass, 30-7
48th: Kollin Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., 10 bass, 30-6
49th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 30-5
50th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 10 bass, 30-4
Pro Brian Latimer of Belton, South Carolina won Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a largemouth bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Overall, there were 696 bass weighing 1,971 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 145 pros Thursday. The catch included 129 five-bass limits.