Fifty-five of the top weekend boaters and co-anglers from across the country continued their three-day battle Thursday for a top prize of $120,000 at the 37th annual BFLAll-American on South Carolina's Lake.
Rainy weather, which had been heavy overnight, greeted anglers to start the second day of competition. The rain tapered off after takeoff, then cloudy and slick conditions set in before turning in to a pleasant weather day, with lots of sun and a nice breeze.
After weighing a respectable 11-07 limit on the opening day of competition, boater Todd Goade of White Pine, Tenn., vaulted to the top of the leaderboard after day 2 by weighing a five-bass limit for 13-02. Goade’s two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 24-09 ounces gives him a 1-13 lead over 2nd-place angler Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., heading into the third and final day of competition.
The 2020 All-American features competitors from across the 24-division Bass Fishing League, The Bass Federation, College Fishing and High School Fishing, battling for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the boater division and $50,000 in the co-angler division.
“The last two days, I’ve made the right decisions at the right times and it has worked out so far,” said Goade, who qualified for the event out of the Bass Fishing League Volunteer division. “During practice I noticed that you needed to be in certain places at a certain time, and the fish that I’m trying to catch, I need the sun to shine for them to be on target.
“It’s been cloudy, so I’ve been stopping pretty short of my target and just working my way up to them. I’ve caught a lot of fish before I even get to the cover. As the sun came out today, the fishing got better in the afternoon."
Goade estimated that he caught 12 to 13 keepers on Wednesday, then added another 15 to 20 keepers on day 2. He said he’s done the majority of his damage with a Zoom worm on a shaky-head rig and a 1/8-ounce Pulse jig with an unnamed Damiki plastic.
“The fish are feeding on really small bait right now,” Goade said. “Normally they’re eating 3- to 5-inch herring, but right now they’re eating 1- to 1 1/2-inch shad, so I’ve kind of matched the hatch with that Pulse jig.”
When asked if he was feeling any nerves leading this event heading into the final day of competition, Goade said he was hopeful, but content.
“Even if I zero tomorrow, this has already been one of the best weeks I’ve ever had in my fishing career,” Goade said. “I don’t feel any extra pressure. When it’s your time, it’s your time and if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. I’m going to do the same thing that I’ve done the last 2 days and I’m just going fishing.”
Here are the totals for the 10 anglers who advanced to the final day:
1. Todd Goade: 24-09
2. Roger Fitzpatrick: 22-12
3. Bryan Dowdy: 22-05
4. Dustin Lippe: 22-04
5. Chris Macy: 21-09
6. Jayme Rampey: 21-09
7. Cole Floyd: 20-09
8. Dennis Berhorst: 20-07
9. Randall Allen; 20-01
10. Kip Carter: 20-00
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
