KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Florida tournaments are often up-and-down affairs, with a lot of leaderboard change day-to-day. Take Joshua Weaver of Macon, Georgia, who sat in 13th place with 17 pounds, 7 ounces after Day 1 of the MLF Invitationals event on the Kissimmee Chain. On Day 2 Weaver rocketed up into second, hammering out 28-5 for the big move.
Alex Bradley of Welford, South Carolina, moved even more – tallying 25-10, the young pro rolled from 75th to seventh. However, the man that mattered didn’t come off the pace at all – tournament leader Ryan Armstrong put 22-9 on the scale for a 52-5 total, which has him well clear of the competition.
Hunting down Armstrong, or attempting to, at any rate, Weaver sits in second with 45-12, and Mount Carmel, Illinois, pro Drew Gill is in third with 42-8. Tennessee’s Banks Shaw, in fourth, with 39-3, is more than 13 pounds off the pace set by the red-hot Armstrong.
Picking apart shallow pads, basically one stem at a time, Armstrong has impressed through two days.
“It was slower, and they definitely bit a little different this morning, but it wound up working out,” he said. “This afternoon it definitely picked up. I could've caught more weight. It's just a matter of trying to make the right decision whether or not you want to keep taking them out.”
Armstrong is notably fishing alone, something of a rarity in Florida, and he’s obviously reaping the benefits. Combing through pads and other shallow cover, he’s fishing very meticulously.
“It's a combination of me being around the winning fish and maximizing every five feet that I go,” he explained. “I mean, whenever you're around fish, why do you speed up?
“I'm moving five feet and fishing for 10 minutes and moving five feet and fishing 10 minutes, but the thing about it is there's so many opportunities within that,” he added. “Every five feet I move up, it presents new angles, new holes, new ways I want try to attack that particular spot.”
Still, Armstrong isn’t fishing so slowly because his fish are sluggish.
“I need to be in the ballpark,” he said. “I don't have to hit them on the head. Sometimes they bite it on the fall. Sometimes they bite it on the first hop, and I've even had a couple bite it swimming it out.”
The only remaining question is if Armstrong can do it again, and, the odds seem to be in his favor.
“I think I have fish left, no doubt about that,” said Armstrong. “But, it's not a very big lead on this pond. So I by no means feel like it's over, that's for sure. But I think that if I can put the bites in the boat, I won't lose.”
Only the Top 30 competitors, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to Sunday’s final round:
1st: Ryan Armstrong, Robinson, Ill., 10 bass, 52-5
2nd: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 45-12
3rd: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 10 bass, 42-8
4th: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 39-3
5th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 10 bass, 36-14
6th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 10 bass, 36-13
7th: Alex Bradley, Wellford, S.C., 10 bass, 36-11
8th: Jordan Wiggins, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 36-10
9th: Joseph Webster, Hamilton, Ala., 10 bass, 35-15
10th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 10 bass, 35-12
11th: Dustin Smith, Trussville, Ala., 10 bass, 34-11
12th: Kennie Steverson, Umatilla, Fla., 10 bass, 34-6
13th: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 34-6
14th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 34-5
15th: Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, 10 bass, 33-12
16th: Bobby Bakewell, Orlando, Fla., 10 bass, 33-12
17th: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 32-5
18th: Blake Hall, Rogersville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-4
19th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 32-2
20th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 31-14
21st: Thomas Wooten, Huddleston, Va., 10 bass, 31-14
22nd: Jon Canada, Helena, Ala., 10 bass, 30-14
23rd: Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 10 bass, 30-14
24th: Cal Lane, Grant, Ala., 10 bass, 30-8
25th: Paul Elias, Laurel, Miss., 10 bass, 29-14
26th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 10 bass, 29-14
27th: Matt Baty, Bainbridge, Ga., 10 bass, 29-12
28th: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 10 bass, 29-8
29th: Hunter Mills, Mayfield, Ky., 10 bass, 29-1
30th: Andrew Nordbye, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 28-15
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Weaver brought a bass weighing 9 pounds even to the scale to earn Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award.
