Day 1 of the 13th annual Black Bass World Championships at the Vaal River in South Africa is in the books and Italy holds the overall lead with a cumulative weight of 15.300 kilograms (approx. 33.73 pounds) for its three two-man teams.
The United States team, which is represented by an assortment of pro anglers, sits in 6th place with 13.010 kg (28.68 pounds).
The top individual team is Italy’s duo of Nicola Minaldoni and Vittorio Luca Della Ciana, who caught 5.8 (roughly 12.78 pounds). The top American tandem was Scott Martin and Scott Canterbury, who teamed up to catch 4.85 kg (10.69 pounds), which has them 11th overall. David Dudley and Mark Rose managed 4.36 kg while David Fritts and Lionel Botha caught 3.8 kg.
The 3-day tournament continues tomorrow and concludes on Saturday. BassFans can follow a live feed of the weigh-in, which starts at 10 a.m (EST) by clicking here.
Here’s a look at the team standings after day 1 (weights in kg):
1. Italy: 15.3
2. South Africa: 14.91
3. Zambia: 14.69
4. Germany: 14.13
5. Namibia: 13.15
6. United States: 13.010
7. Spain: 11.93
8. Swaziland: 11.54
9. Zimbabwe: 11.32
10. Croatia: 9.94
11. Portugal: 9.42
12. Russia: 6.56
13. Mexico: 5.13
