HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (June 26, 2023) – Despite the dreary, overcast weather and changing conditions, Jordan Lee of Cullman, Alabama , maintained the pace he set for the Group A field Monday, weighing in five bass totaling 23 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Group A Qualifying Round at the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Stage Six tournament at Lake St. Clair. Lee’s two-day total of 46-3 earned him the Qualifying Round win by a 4-pound, 8-ounce margin over second-place pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Arkansas, who maintained his second-place position with a two-day total of 10 scorable bass weighing 41-11.
Period 3 marked big changes for several anglers, shaking up the playing field as pros vied for big fish to move across the Toro cutline and advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round. The biggest moves came from Wynne, Arkansas’ Mark Rose, who started the day in 17th place and dropped down to 28th before going on a third-period flurry to finish out the day in ninth. North Carolina’s Bryan Thrift also moved into the top 20 during the final period, while Takahiro Omori and Josh Butler dropped below the cutline and were eliminated from the competition.
The top 20 advancing anglers from Group A will now have an off day from competition Tuesday, while the 40 anglers competing in Qualifying Group B will complete their two-day Qualifying Round. The top 20 anglers from each group advance to Wednesday’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 the Championship Round on Thursday. 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.
“The past two competition days have been unbelievable, and I feel really blessed,” said Lee. “Since we couldn’t practice on the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair, I came over here on a whim, just gambling. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it’s been a great experience.
“I caught a lot of small fish this morning but found a school of big fish late in the day, so I’m excited about moving on to the Knockout Round. These smallmouth are notorious for moving, but I’m not going into panic mode if they move. I just plan to move around and see what else we can find.”
Two hefty smallmouth – weighing 5-11 and 5-2 – anchored Lee’s 23-pound, 11-ounce total on Monday.
“The [Berkley] MaxScent always plays for smallmouth, and this week has been no different,” said Lee. “I’m throwing a drop-shot rig with a 5-inch Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad on my signature 6-foot, 10-inch super finesse Abu Garcia Jordan Lee Spinning Rod, using 6-pound Berkley x5 Braid and an 8-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon Leader. These fish are out a little deeper and have been feeding on perch, so they seem to like this bigger bait.”
The top 20 pros in Group A that now advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round on Lake St. Clair are:
1st: Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 46-3
2nd: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 41-11
3rd: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-3
4th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 10 bass, 40-4
5th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 10 bass, 38-6
6th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 38-3
7th: Cody Meyer, Star, Idaho, 10 bass, 37-13
8th: Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 10 bass, 37-10
9th: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 10 bass, 37-7
10th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 10 bass, 37-3
11th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 10 bass, 37-2
12th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-13
13th: James Watson, Lampe, Mo., 10 bass, 36-10
14th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-7
15th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 10 bass, 36-6
16th: Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 10 bass, 35-7
17th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 35-6
18th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 34-10
19th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 10 bass, 34-9
20th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 10 bass, 34-7
Eliminated from competition are:
21st: Josh Butler, Hayden, Ala., 10 bass, 34-0
22nd: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 10 bass, 33-12
23rd: Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 33-9
24th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 33-7
25th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 10 bass, 33-2
26th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-14
27th: Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., 10 bass, 32-10
28th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-2
29th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 10 bass, 31-15
30th: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 10 bass, 31-13
31st: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 10 bass, 31-11
32nd: Fletcher Shryock, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 31-2
33rd: Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., 10 bass, 30-5
34th: Timmy Horton, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 10 bass, 29-5
35th: David Walker, Sevierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-13
36th: Roy Hawk, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 28-7
37th: Dave Lefebre, Erie, Penn., nine bass, 26-5
38th: Randy Howell, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 25-12
39th: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 25-9
40th: Mitch Crane, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 12-8
Lee earned Monday’s $1,000 Big Bass Award with a smallmouth weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught in Period 2 on a drop-shot rig. 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.