Wild River Pro Evers by an Ounce
Last-second drama was the special of the day at the Bassmaster Classic weigh-in. Halo pro Randall Tharp was one of the early anglers to bring in fish. His two-day total of 47 pounds 5 ounces had him holding on to the top spot until the last angler to weigh fish today came in, Nitro Boats pro Edwin Evers. Evers had a massive grin as he slid into first by one ounce with a weight of 47 pounds 6 ounces.
Rounding out the Top 5 are Nitro Boats pro Ott DeFoe with 43 pounds 5 ounces, Falcon Rods pro Jason Christie weighing 42 pounds 14 ounces and Paul Mueller with a weight of 41 pounds 13 ounces.
Evers on a ride.
“I am having a roller coaster of emotions,” said Evers. “I really struggled today. I only had three fish in the afternoon. I moved to a new area and hooked my biggest bass. I hooked it in the tail. I didn’t think it was a bass at first by the fight, but I got it in. A few casts later, I caught another keeper.
“I’m so happy they weighed that much. It’s unbelievable. It’s a huge blessing to be where I am at. Anything can happen. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”
Tharp stayed calm.
“I had mechanical issues today,” said Tharp. “Most guys get rattled when things like that happen. I don’t. I’m blessed that way.
“I had a flurry of action this morning. About 140 people were part of that. I can’t wait to go out tomorrow. I think I can catch 30 pounds tomorrow and win.
“I have records under my belt, but winning the Bassmaster Classic to go with the FLW championship would mean everything to me. I can’t put it into words. I’m fishing my favorite lake. I couldn’t think of a better stage or lake to do it.”
DeFoe had less.
“I didn’t catch near as many bass today,” said DeFoe. “I’m catching all of my fish on a moving bait. All of the bites are reaction strikes. I caught my big fish earlier in the morning. When the wind rippled the water a bit is when I caught all of my fish today.”
Christie comfortable.
“I’d rather be a little behind than in the lead going into the last day,” said Christie. “It’s getting tough out there to find different areas. There are lots of boats out there. Hopefully, I get 30 pounds tomorrow.
“I’ll need to think about it tonight whether I am going to move around or fish the same areas. I got big bites in practice, but none so far in the Classic. I want one of those bigger fish. It’ll make up your deficit real quick.”
Mueller’s water cleared.
“I think the biggest thing for me today was my area cleared,” said Mueller. “I did not get a lot of fish, but they were the right ones. Last night I prayed and the Lord blessed me today. If it’s in God’s plan, anything can happen. I will take one day at a time. Hopefully I can catch a big bag tomorrow.”
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