TYLER, Texas (April 12, 2022) – Pro Stephen Browning of Hot Springs, Arkansas, caught 11 scorable bass totaling 32 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the Qualifying Round for Group B at the General Tire Heavy Hitters Tournament on Lake Palestine. Browning’s two-day total of 27 bass weighing 83 pounds, 10 ounces earned him the round win by a 29-pound, 6-ounce margin and advances him straight into Thursday’s Championship Round of competition.
The six-day all-star event showcases the 32 pros that qualified from the Bass Pro Tour competing in the no-entry fee tournament for a purse of more than $500,000.
Pro Russ Lane of Prattville, Alabama finished the day in second place with a two-day total of 17 bass weighing 54-4, while Berkley pro Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama finished in third with 16 bass weighing 50-5. Period three brought big moves for Favorite Fishing pro Zack Birge of Blanchard, Oklahoma, who slid into fourth with a two-day total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds even, but Tennessee pro Michael Neal made the biggest jump of the day – moving from 14th place to round out the top five, with 17 bass weighing 45 pounds, 9 ounces.
Pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, California, caught the heaviest bass of the Group B Qualifying Round on Sunday, weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the Group B Qualifying Round Berkley Big Bass Bonus of $25,000. Another prize of $50,000 will be awarded to the heaviest fish landed Wednesday in the Knockout Round, and $100,000 will be awarded for the single biggest fish in Thursday’s Championship Round.
With the Qualifying Round now complete, the anglers that finished in 2nd through 8th place from each group advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. The Knockout Round will feature 14 anglers competing to finish in the top eight. Thursday’s Championship Round will feature DeFoe, Browning 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.
“It was really nerve wracking this morning,” said Browning. “Russ (Lane) put a lot of pressure on us right out of the gate, but I just stuck to my game plan to go back to the area where I caught them all on Day One and just catch enough to make sure we won the Qualifying Round and could skip straight to the Championship Round – and we did that.”
This will mark the first time Browning has won the Qualifying Round for his group and the berth straight through to the Championship Round.
“I got a little impatient with the slow bite this morning, but I knew there were plenty of fish where I started to accomplish what I needed to do. Those fish just decided not to bite early, which is typical of true, shallow spawning fish. Once they got fired up late in the first period, we had a great second period and was able to explore at the end of the day to eliminate some areas for the Championship Round.
“That’s the most important thing on this fishery, being able to home in on where you want to be. You need to have a game plan and have an area to fish, but on Lake Palestine you can’t just jump up and run all over the place. You’ve got to have a couple of areas you feel you can catch fish in, and you just have to stick with them. Thankfully we’ve been able to do that.”
Browning said he caught most of his fish on the Z-Man (ChatterBait) Jack Hammer again today and caught a few others on a basic Green Pumpkin-colored lizard with a chartreuse-dipped tail, on a 3/16-ounce weight.
“I also caught a few later in the day on the Z-Man Big Blade ChatterBait, trying to catch a 9-pounder and chase down Ehrler’s big bass award,” said Browning. “That’s my go to bait for big fish, but I didn’t make that happen.
“I feel really good about what I’m doing though – I feel good about my technique and my set up going into the final round,” continued Browning. “I missed it just a bit on Day One, but I’ve made a few changes and I’m looking forward to the challenge in the Championship Round.”
The top eight pros from Qualifying Group B that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Lake Palestine are:
1st: Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 27 bass, 83-10
2nd: Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., 17 bass, 54-4
3rd: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 16 bass, 50-5
4th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 47-0
5th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 17 bass, 45-9
6th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 16 bass, 43-4
7th: Jeff Kriet, Ardmore, Okla., 13 bass, 39-6
8th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 10 bass, 37-14
Finishing in 9th through 16th in the Group B Qualifying Round are:
9th: Cliff Pace, Petal, Miss., 10 bass, 32-14
10th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 11 bass, 32-6
11th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 10 bass, 30-9
12th: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., eight bass, 28-8
13th: Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., nine bass, 27-2
14th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 10 bass, 27-0
15th: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 26-13
16th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., eight bass, 21-13
Overall, there were 111 scorable bass weighing 336 pounds, 7 ounces caught by the 16 pros Tuesday.
Anglers will depart at 7 a.m. on Wednesday from the Villages Marina, located at Big Eddy Road in Flint, Texas. Anglers are allowed to trailer to any boat ramp of their choosing on Lake Palestine, but competition begins with “lines in” at 8 a.m. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at the Marina, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout event.
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Major League Fishing (MLF) Archive