BAY CITY, Mich. (Aug. 1, 2023) – Greg “The Rooster” Vinson of Wetumpka, Alabama , went on a morning flurry, weighing in 12 scorable bass, with his best five totaling 22 pounds, 6 ounces, to grab the early lead for Group A after Day 1 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Tournament on Saginaw Bay. Pro Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tennessee sits 4 pounds, 4 ounces behind Vinson with five scorable bass totaling 18-2, good for second place, while Texan Dakota Ebare rounds out the top three, finishing a mere 5 ounces behind Wheeler, with a five-fish limit weighing 17-13.
The six-day tournament showcases 80 of the top professional anglers competing for a purse of more than $805,000, including a top payout of $100,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the All-Star event and REDCREST 2024, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The 40 anglers in Group A will now have an off day from competition Wednesday, while the 40 anglers competing in Group B will begin their first day of competition. Group A will resume competition on Thursday.
Vinson shot out of the gate early Tuesday, racking up 22 pounds in Period 1. Although smallmouth dominated the leaderboard throughout the day, largemouth were in contention as well, with many pros– including Vinson – ending the day with a combination of both.
“Man, what an awesome day,” said Vinson. “I knew it was possible after looking at previous weights from past tournaments, but there’s a lot to take into consideration on this big body of water. Somehow, I just ran across them today and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
While mere ounces separated many of the anglers in the top 10, Vinson finished the day with a substantial margin over Wheeler going into the second day of competition for Group A.
“This morning was the kind of day you dream about in tournament fishing,” said Vinson. “Oftentimes you find something in practice that looks promising, but then you pull up during the competition and it’s almost always different than what you expected, so you have to adjust.
“This morning I pulled up where I’d seen these fish the other day during practice, and it started off a little slow, but once they grouped up, it was lights out,” Vinson continued. “There was a school of those bigger smallmouth and every time I’d catch one, I’d pull the whole school up and kind of move them. I had a good feel for the line they were moving up and down each time though, so I just kept fishing around them, and eventually I’d catch another one.”
A total of 16 fish weighing more than 4 pounds were caught during Day 1, with six of those reeled in by Vinson.
“There was about a one-hour window this morning that was just magical,” said Vinson. “Every time I got bit, I pulled out a 4-pounder and those are so hard to come by here this week, so that was something really special that I won’t ever forget. I put a lot of work, worry and stress into this tournament, so it’s nice when you have a day like today and all that preparation pays off.”
Although Vinson filled his limit with quality fish early in the day, he didn’t upgrade once in the final period.
“The last few hours of the day were fun, but unproductive,” Vinson continued. “I caught three or four later in the last period that were scorable, but not significant.
“I really thought I’d get some 2- to 3-pound largemouth while running new water this afternoon, but obviously the area I was in wasn’t the ticket,” said Vinson. “Thankfully I figured that out today and not during the competition on Thursday, and that also gave me more confidence in the areas where I did find some better largemouth.”
Vinson said he spent 12 hours looking for quality smallmouth during practice, and only has one area that he feels confident in going into the next day of competition.
“I hate to even think about having to go find them again, so if it’s not happening on Thursday, I’ll just have to jump on the largemouth train and try to get through to the next round,” Vinson said. “I think the biggest factor for me is going to be the wind that’s being forecast. With the area I’m in and the style I’m fishing, I feel really vulnerable going into the second day of competition.
“I’m not a smallmouth specialist,” Vinson continued. “I can catch them, but when the weather changes the smallmouth will change patterns, so I have to be ready for that and have another plan in place.
“I came into this event on the other side of the cutline for REDCREST, which will be in my home state of Alabama next year,” Vinson continued. “Hopefully I can catch enough to make it through to the next round and have a good chance of qualifying for REDCREST.”
The top 20 pros in Group A after Day 1 on Saginaw Bay are:
1st: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 22-6
2nd: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 18-2
3rd: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 17-13
4th: Kevin VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 17-11
5th: Russ Lane, Prattville, Ala., five bass, 16-13
6th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 16-10
7th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 16-8
8th: Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 16-4
9th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 16-2
10th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., five bass, 15-10
11th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 15-7
12th: Tommy Biffle, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 15-7
13th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 15-3
14th: Josh Bertrand, Queen Creek, Ariz., five bass, 14-14
15th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 14-13
16th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, K.Y., five bass, 14-12
17th: Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, five bass, 14-8
18th: Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 14-8
19th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., five bass, 14-7
20th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 14-6
Vinson tied with Berkley pro Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Alabama for Tuesday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award, each weighing in a bass totaling 4 pounds, 10 ounces, to claim a share of the daily award. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.
The 40 Anglers in Group A compete in their two-day qualifying round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 40 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day qualifying round is complete, the top 20 anglers from each group advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 40 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final day Championship Round, weight carries over from the Knockout Round and the angler with the heaviest two-day total wins the top prize of $100,000.