By MLF Communications Staff

In brutally tough weather conditions that had multiple anglers saying it was, “the coldest I have ever been,” Alton Jones, Jr., of Waco, Texas, caught 12 bass Wednesday weighing 52 pounds, 3 ounces to win the Knockout Round and advance to the final day of competition at the MLF Bass Pro Tour event on Lake Fork in Quitman, Texas. Jones edged BPT newcomer Dakota Ebare of Brookeland, Texas, who weighed in 12 bass totaling 48-11 to end the round in second.

Normally three 2 1/2-hour periods, Wednesday’s Knockout Round was shortened to just two periods after a major cold front moved into northeast Texas and brought strong winds, frigid temperatures and freezing rain. MLF officials made the decision to shorten the Knockout Round and, after input from the MLF Angler Advisory Board, postpone Thursday’s final-day Championship Round until Friday.

“The safety of our anglers and their families, our staff and our fans are priority number one,” said Aaron Beshears, BPT Tournament Director. “After speaking with the entire team, including our pro anglers, we all feel that the best decision to be made for this event is to go ahead and postpone tomorrow and finish it up on Friday.”

The final 10 anglers are now set, and competition will resume Friday morning with the Championship Round when weights are zeroed, and the angler who catches the most one-day weight will win the top prize of $100,000.

The top Top 8 pros from Wednesday’s Knockout Round who will compete in Friday’s Championship Round are:

1: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 12 bass, 52-03
2: Dakota Ebare, Brookeland, Texas, 12 bass, 48-11
3: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., nine bass, 44-07
4: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 10 bass, 43-08
5: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., eight bass, 37-11
6: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, eight bass, 35-02
7: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., six bass, 29-04
8: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, seven bass, 28-04

They’ll be joined by Qualifying Round winners Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn. (Group A) and Alton Jones of Lorena, Texas (Group B).

Friday will mark the first BPT Championship Round appearances for Ebare, Floyd and VanDam, and will also mark the first time that both Alton Jones Sr., and Alton Jones Jr. will compete against each other on the final day.

“Going out today, I wasn’t that excited,” Jones Jr. said. “In my mind, I thought to even have a shot at making the Championship Round I’d have to get a couple of true Lake Fork giant bites. I ended up getting the ball rolling with a 4-pounder, then two casts later broke off a big one. Those bites keyed me in on a little something and gave me a hint as to a certain bait I should be throwing.”

Although Jones Jr. declined to divulge any bait specifics, he did mention that all of his fish today came cranking.

“For the first time in my career, I didn’t have a bottom or slow-moving bait on my deck today,” Jones said. “I had three spinnerbaits, three jerkbaits and a couple of crankbaits tied on. I haven’t been able to get bit without a moving bait this week.

“I think this cold front is helping – it’s making the fish congregate and grouping them up,” Jones continued. “I also think it seems to be a little bit of a timing deal. I was fishing around several other anglers that didn’t do well, and I was even catching fish behind myself. I’d miss a bite, then come back through a little later and catch three.”

The younger Jones will make his sixth BPT Championship Round appearance on Friday as he seeks his elusive first win.

“My game plan for Friday is more of the same that I did today,” he said. “I’m going to put all my eggs in two areas, catch as many as I can and hope it works out. I’m not sure how it’s going to go, but if the stars align it absolutely could be my time.”

Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, the reigning REDCREST 2021 Champion, earned the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award Wednesday, catching a 10-07 largemouth on a jerkbait in Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day and a $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

The final 10 anglers competing in Friday’s Championship Round will launch at 7:30 a.m. from the Oak Ridge Marina, located at 2949 TX-154 in Quitman. The takeout will be held at the marina beginning at 4:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW! livestream and ScoreTracker coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The tournament features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. Minimum weights are determined individually for each competition waters that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The MLF NOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action on Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLF NOW! will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.

Knockout Round

1. Alton Jones Jr. -- 52-03 (12) -- 5-12

2. Dakota Ebare -- 48-11 (12) -- 8-15

3. Zack Birge -- 44-07 (9) -- 7-08

4. Casey Ashley -- 43-08 (10) -- 6-14

5. Justin Lucas -- 37-11 (8) -- 7-15

6. Cole Floyd -- 35-02 (8) -- 6-02

7. Jonathon VanDam -- 29-04 (6) -- 8-05

8. Jeff Sprague -- 28-04 (7) -- 9-02

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not advance to the Championship Round

9. Chris Lane -- 23-04 (6) -- 6-02

10. Jordan Lee -- 22-15 (6) -- 5-08

11. Luke Clausen -- 22-03 (6) -- 5-14

12. Bryan Thrift -- 22-02 (6) -- 5-10

13. Dave Lefebre -- 21-04 (7) -- 5-14

14. Ryan Salzman -- 21-01 (5) -- 7-13

15. Dustin Connell -- 20-08 (4) -- 10-07

16. Andy Morgan -- 16-03 (5) -- 4-02

17. Kevin VanDam -- 15-08 (4) -- 6-04

18. Bradley Roy -- 15-02 (4) -- 5-02

19. Skeet Reese -- 14-00 (3) -- 8-10

20. Tommy Biffle -- 12-06 (3) -- 6-12

21. Randall Tharp -- 11-11 (4) -- 3-03

22. Greg Vinson -- 10-09 (3) -- 5-14

23. Takahiro Omori -- 10-05 (3) -- 4-10

24. Scott Suggs -- 9-10 (4) -- 2-15

25. Roy Hawk -- 9-04 (2) -- 5-06

26. Russ Lane -- 7-11 (3) -- 3-00

27. Stephen Browning -- 7-07 (2) -- 4-14

28. Britt Myers -- 7-07 (2) -- 4-07

29. Keith Poche -- 7-05 (2) -- 3-12

30. Jeff Kriet -- 6-13 (2) -- 4-10

31. Randy Howell -- 6-11 (2) -- 4-00

32. Terry Scroggins -- 5-12 (1) -- 5-12

33. Cliff Crochet -- 5-01 (1) -- 5-01

34. James Elam -- 4-11 (2) -- 2-10

35. Edwin Evers -- 3-00 (1) -- 3-00

36. Andy Montgomery -- 2-09 (1) -- 2-09

37. Ish Monroe -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00

37. Mark Davis -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00