By MLF Communications Staff
When you’re in a good groove, you can seemingly do nothing wrong. Well, Jacopo Gallelli is definitely in a groove at Pickwick Lake.
The Day-1 leader of the MLF Pro Circuit event admitted yesterday he felt he had burned up his best spots and had almost resigned himself to just trying to coast to a check.
Turns out, he was wrong on both fronts.
While a number of top pros from Day 1 struggled mightily in the second round, the Italian pro continued to follow his gut and brought in the sixth-largest bag of the day, 16 pounds, 15 ounces, to extend his lead with a 39-15 total for two days.
“Honestly, I was hoping to stay (in the ) Top 20 today,” Gallelli said. “So, to still be leading is as awesome as can be. And I feel I deserve to be because I had very sharp intuition today. Three of my fish were just intuition. Things that make you feel like you know what you’re doing.”
Part of the reason for that feeling is that he feels he finally is doing something he does best – finesse.
In all his events he’s fished since coming to the United States, including the Pro Circuit event he won last year on the Potomac River, Gallelli says he’s never been able to find a way to fish like he does back in Italy. Yet, this event, he finally found a pattern that is just like what he does back home.
Now, it’s just a matter of whether that pattern will hold up, or even if he wants it to for tomorrow, at least.
Thus far, he’s done the bulk of his damage from a key starting spot that produced a kicker smallmouth and even a large spotted bass on Day 2. From there, he’s been running a second pattern to get some kicker largemouth. That pattern produced a 5-pounder today, but he says he committed 3 hours of his day to catch that one fish, and he doesn’t feel he will have the luxury to do that on Sunday.
Fortunately, with him holding an 8-pound-plus lead over 10th place and the weights zeroing on the final day, Gallelli says he will actually try and lose the lead tomorrow in order to spend more time practicing for another solid pattern.
“Tomorrow when I get the limit, I’ll decide to lose the lead,” Gallelli said. “It’s not worth anything. So, I probably decide to lose some position for Day 4, but I will invest time practicing. Because I practiced a little bit today but didn’t find anything that felt right.
“You’ll need 20 pounds to win this thing on Day 4, and tomorrow I’m going to try and find it to at least give myself a chance.”
Day 2 Standings
1. Jacopo Gallelli -- 23-00 (5) -- 16-15 (5) -- 39-15 (10)
2. John Hunter -- 21-00 (5) -- 17-07 (5) -- 38-07 (10)
3. Ron Nelson -- 18-06 (5) -- 16-05 (5) -- 34-11 (10)
4. John Cox -- 17-02 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 34-00 (10)
5. Andrew Loberg -- 16-07 (5) -- 17-06 (5) -- 33-13 (10)
6. Mark Rose -- 16-14 (5) -- 16-02 (5) -- 33-00 (10)
7. Jon Canada -- 12-13 (5) -- 19-15 (5) -- 32-12 (10)
8. Larry Nixon -- 17-13 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 32-07 (10)
9. Corey Neece -- 21-01 (5) -- 10-09 (5) -- 31-10 (10)
10. Chris Lane -- 16-11 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 31-09 (10)
11. Nick Lebrun -- 11-10 (5) -- 19-13 (5) -- 31-07 (10)
12. Jim Moynagh -- 14-08 (5) -- 16-11 (5) -- 31-03 (10)
13. Justin Lucas -- 13-12 (5) -- 17-04 (5) -- 31-00 (10)
14. Shane Lineberger -- 14-05 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 30-15 (10)
15. Steve Lopez -- 18-04 (5) -- 12-07 (5) -- 30-11 (10)
16. Josh Butler -- 16-11 (5) -- 13-12 (5) -- 30-07 (10)
17. Nick Hatfield -- 14-05 (5) -- 16-02 (5) -- 30-07 (10)
18. Randy Howell -- 14-03 (5) -- 16-02 (5) -- 30-05 (10)
19. Cameron Mattison -- 19-11 (5) -- 10-08 (5) -- 30-03 (10)
20. Mitch Crane -- 14-08 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 30-02 (10)
21. Brian Latimer -- 14-12 (5) -- 15-04 (5) -- 30-00 (10)
22. Darrell Davis -- 14-05 (5) -- 15-07 (5) -- 29-12 (10)
23. Brett Hite -- 16-09 (5) -- 13-02 (5) -- 29-11 (10)
24. Troy Stokes -- 14-08 (5) -- 15-03 (5) -- 29-11 (10)
25. Miles Burghoff -- 17-12 (5) -- 11-09 (5) -- 29-05 (10)
26. Mike McClelland -- 12-06 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 29-04 (10)
27. Cal Lane -- 14-09 (5) -- 14-11 (5) -- 29-04 (10)
28. Kurt Mitchell -- 15-08 (5) -- 13-10 (5) -- 29-02 (10)
29. Mitchell Webb -- 13-10 (4) -- 15-07 (5) -- 29-01 (9)
30. Josh Bragg -- 12-06 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 29-00 (10)
31. Spencer Shuffield -- 14-09 (5) -- 14-07 (5) -- 29-00 (10)
32. Skeet Reese -- 16-03 (5) -- 12-12 (5) -- 28-15 (10)
33. Chad Warren -- 15-12 (5) -- 13-02 (5) -- 28-14 (10)
34. Colby Schrumpf -- 13-10 (5) -- 15-02 (5) -- 28-12 (10)
35. Kyle Gelles -- 14-05 (5) -- 14-07 (5) -- 28-12 (10)
36. Lane Olson -- 13-08 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 28-06 (10)
37. Blake Hall -- 14-09 (5) -- 13-13 (5) -- 28-06 (10)
38. Joey Cifuentes -- 13-06 (5) -- 14-15 (5) -- 28-05 (10)
39. Mike Surman -- 21-05 (5) -- 6-10 (3) -- 27-15 (8)
40. Brad Knight -- 12-12 (5) -- 15-03 (5) -- 27-15 (10)
41. Braxton Setzer -- 12-14 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 27-11 (10)
42. Kyle Cortiana -- 10-08 (5) -- 16-15 (5) -- 27-07 (10)
43. Wesley Strader -- 12-07 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 27-05 (10)
44. John Voyles -- 16-03 (5) -- 11-01 (5) -- 27-04 (10)
45. Andy Newcomb -- 13-02 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 27-00 (10)
46. Phillip Dutra -- 12-02 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 26-12 (10)
47. Jim Tutt -- 15-03 (5) -- 11-07 (5) -- 26-10 (10)
48. Justin Cooper -- 11-01 (5) -- 15-06 (5) -- 26-07 (10)
49. Joshua Weaver -- 13-04 (5) -- 13-02 (5) -- 26-06 (10)
50. Barron Adams -- 14-14 (5) -- 11-05 (5) -- 26-03 (10)
The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on Day 3.
51. Kyle Hall -- 10-10 (5) -- 15-05 (5) -- 25-15 (10) -- $10,000
52. Kerry Milner -- 13-07 (5) -- 12-05 (5) -- 25-12 (10) -- $10,000
53. Jason Meninger -- 12-15 (5) -- 12-13 (5) -- 25-12 (10) -- $10,000
54. Evan Barnes -- 9-02 (3) -- 16-07 (5) -- 25-09 (8) -- $10,000
55. Ricardo Gonzalez -- 10-12 (4) -- 14-13 (5) -- 25-09 (9) -- $10,000
56. Matt Becker -- 10-09 (4) -- 14-11 (5) -- 25-04 (9) -- $10,000
57. Jimmy Neece Jr -- 18-07 (5) -- 6-12 (3) -- 25-03 (8) -- $10,000
58. Jason Vance -- 13-02 (5) -- 12-01 (5) -- 25-03 (10) -- $9,000
59. Chris Groh -- 14-02 (5) -- 10-11 (4) -- 24-13 (9) -- $5,500
60. Terry Bolton -- 13-07 (5) -- 11-06 (5) -- 24-13 (10) -- $5,500
61. Mickey Beck -- 10-04 (5) -- 14-08 (5) -- 24-12 (10) -- $5,000
62. Brandon McMillan -- 13-08 (5) -- 11-00 (5) -- 24-08 (10) -- $5,000
63. Clark Reehm -- 9-07 (4) -- 14-15 (5) -- 24-06 (9) -- $5,000
64. Randall Tharp -- 13-02 (5) -- 11-04 (5) -- 24-06 (10) -- $5,000
65. Chase Serafin -- 11-06 (5) -- 13-00 (5) -- 24-06 (10) -- $5,000
66. Pete Ponds -- 15-08 (5) -- 8-13 (3) -- 24-05 (8) -- $5,000
67. Michael Matthee -- 14-05 (5) -- 9-13 (4) -- 24-02 (9) -- $5,000
68. Bobby Lane -- 11-08 (5) -- 12-05 (5) -- 23-13 (10) -- $5,000
69. Rusty Salewske -- 14-04 (5) -- 9-06 (5) -- 23-10 (10) -- $5,000
70. Joe Wieberg -- 7-00 (2) -- 16-07 (5) -- 23-07 (7) -- $5,000
71. Martin Villa -- 14-11 (5) -- 8-12 (4) -- 23-07 (9) -- $5,000
72. Miles Howe -- 7-00 (3) -- 16-06 (5) -- 23-06 (8) -- $6,000
73. Matthew Stefan -- 13-15 (5) -- 9-05 (5) -- 23-04 (10) -- $5,000
74. Jeff Reynolds -- 12-03 (5) -- 11-00 (5) -- 23-03 (10) -- $5,000
75. Todd Walters -- 9-12 (4) -- 13-05 (5) -- 23-01 (9) -- $5,000
76. Ricky Robinson -- 13-02 (5) -- 9-15 (4) -- 23-01 (9)
77. Jason Abram -- 12-15 (5) -- 10-02 (4) -- 23-01 (9)
78. Alex Davis -- 11-03 (5) -- 11-12 (5) -- 22-15 (10)
79. Derrick Snavely -- 11-14 (5) -- 10-15 (4) -- 22-13 (9)
80. Dicky Newberry -- 13-05 (5) -- 9-06 (5) -- 22-11 (10)
81. Clayton Batts -- 13-10 (5) -- 9-00 (4) -- 22-10 (9)
82. Robby Lefere -- 7-14 (3) -- 14-10 (5) -- 22-08 (8)
83. Billy Hines -- 16-09 (5) -- 5-11 (2) -- 22-04 (7)
84. Scott Dobson -- 13-14 (5) -- 8-06 (4) -- 22-04 (9)
85. Laramy Strickland -- 15-10 (5) -- 6-07 (3) -- 22-01 (8)
86. Cole Hewett -- 9-03 (4) -- 12-14 (4) -- 22-01 (8)
87. Matt Reed -- 9-11 (2) -- 12-04 (5) -- 21-15 (7)
88. Christian Greico -- 9-01 (3) -- 12-12 (5) -- 21-13 (8)
89. Jamie Horton -- 6-07 (3) -- 15-04 (5) -- 21-11 (8)
90. Jeff McLain -- 12-00 (5) -- 9-07 (4) -- 21-07 (9)
91. Dylan Hays -- 13-02 (5) -- 8-03 (3) -- 21-05 (8)
92. Charlie Ingram -- 13-00 (5) -- 8-02 (4) -- 21-02 (9)
93. James Niggemeyer -- 10-10 (5) -- 10-06 (4) -- 21-00 (9)
94. Darrel Robertson -- 11-10 (5) -- 9-03 (4) -- 20-13 (9)
95. David Walker -- 16-10 (5) -- 3-15 (2) -- 20-09 (7)
96. Dave Parsons -- 12-03 (5) -- 8-06 (4) -- 20-09 (9)
97. Rusty Trancygier -- 6-04 (3) -- 14-01 (4) -- 20-05 (7)
98. Greg Bohannan -- 12-05 (5) -- 7-14 (4) -- 20-03 (9)
99. Ramie Colson Jr -- 7-15 (3) -- 12-03 (5) -- 20-02 (8)
100. Tai Au -- 13-09 (5) -- 6-02 (3) -- 19-11 (8)
101. Jason Reyes -- 8-06 (4) -- 11-03 (5) -- 19-09 (9)
102. Jacob Wall -- 13-08 (5) -- 5-14 (3) -- 19-06 (8)
103. Grae Buck -- 9-14 (5) -- 9-08 (4) -- 19-06 (9)
104. Ron Farrow -- 9-13 (5) -- 9-08 (5) -- 19-05 (10)
105. Michael Neal -- 15-15 (5) -- 3-02 (1) -- 19-01 (6)
106. River Lee -- 11-15 (5) -- 6-14 (3) -- 18-13 (8)
107. Jimmy Washam -- 8-07 (4) -- 10-05 (4) -- 18-12 (8)
108. Chad Grigsby -- 13-15 (5) -- 4-11 (2) -- 18-10 (7)
109. Scott Towry -- 13-06 (5) -- 5-04 (2) -- 18-10 (7)
110. J Todd Tucker -- 5-09 (2) -- 13-01 (5) -- 18-10 (7)
111. Colby Miller -- 7-10 (4) -- 10-15 (5) -- 18-09 (9)
112. Tyler Woolcott -- 11-04 (5) -- 7-04 (4) -- 18-08 (9)
113. Jimmy Reese -- 13-13 (5) -- 4-06 (2) -- 18-03 (7)
114. Tom Monsoor -- 5-12 (3) -- 12-04 (5) -- 18-00 (8)
115. Mark Fisher -- 6-09 (2) -- 11-06 (5) -- 17-15 (7)
116. Cole Floyd -- 14-01 (5) -- 3-11 (2) -- 17-12 (7)
117. Keith Carson -- 4-02 (2) -- 13-09 (4) -- 17-11 (6)
118. Casey Scanlon -- 7-02 (3) -- 10-08 (5) -- 17-10 (8)
119. Tommy Dickerson -- 3-01 (1) -- 14-08 (5) -- 17-09 (6)
120. Shonn Goodwin -- 8-08 (4) -- 8-14 (4) -- 17-06 (8)
121. Steve York -- 10-09 (5) -- 6-10 (3) -- 17-03 (8)
122. Kyle Weisenburger -- 13-11 (5) -- 3-07 (2) -- 17-02 (7)
123. Bruce Parsons -- 9-14 (3) -- 7-03 (3) -- 17-01 (6)
124. Tyler Stewart -- 7-01 (3) -- 9-13 (5) -- 16-14 (8)
125. Grant Galloway -- 10-08 (5) -- 6-01 (3) -- 16-09 (8)
126. Dakota Ebare -- 13-14 (5) -- 2-03 (1) -- 16-01 (6)
127. Cody Pike -- 5-13 (3) -- 9-15 (3) -- 15-12 (6)
128. Brandon Mosley -- 8-05 (3) -- 6-10 (2) -- 14-15 (5)
129. Nick Gainey -- 4-12 (2) -- 10-02 (4) -- 14-14 (6)
130. Tom Redington -- 3-12 (2) -- 11-01 (4) -- 14-13 (6)
131. Charlie Evans -- 12-05 (5) -- 1-13 (1) -- 14-02 (6)
132. Stephen Albertson -- 6-08 (3) -- 7-05 (3) -- 13-13 (6)
133. Bill McDonald -- 4-10 (2) -- 9-02 (4) -- 13-12 (6)
134. Lendell Martin Jr -- 11-12 (5) -- 1-13 (1) -- 13-09 (6)
135. Randy Despino -- 9-08 (4) -- 3-14 (2) -- 13-06 (6)
136. Takayuki Koike -- 11-03 (4) -- 2-02 (1) -- 13-05 (5)
137. Jared McMillan -- 6-08 (2) -- 6-07 (3) -- 12-15 (5)
138. Aaron Britt -- 3-12 (2) -- 9-02 (4) -- 12-14 (6)
139. Tim Frederick -- 2-03 (1) -- 10-09 (5) -- 12-12 (6)
140. Blake Smith -- 1-14 (1) -- 10-08 (3) -- 12-06 (4)
141. Lance Oligschlaeger -- 11-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-10 (5)
142. Scott Wiley -- 7-09 (4) -- 4-01 (2) -- 11-10 (6)
143. Clabion Johns -- 4-05 (2) -- 6-07 (3) -- 10-12 (5)
144. Stuart Arthur -- 8-04 (2) -- 2-04 (1) -- 10-08 (3)
145. Trevor Fitzgerald -- 10-06 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-06 (5)
146. Jeff Bridges -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-01 (5) -- 10-01 (5)
147. Cole Harris -- 2-14 (1) -- 4-15 (2) -- 7-13 (3)
148. Terry Luedtke -- 3-11 (2) -- 4-00 (2) -- 7-11 (4)
149. Lance Crawford -- 1-14 (1) -- 5-05 (3) -- 7-03 (4)
150. Shannon Abbott -- 6-13 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-13 (3)
151. Robert Nakatomi -- 3-04 (1) -- 3-06 (2) -- 6-10 (3)
152. Jason Lieblong -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-01 (3) -- 6-01 (3)
153. Gary Yamamoto -- 2-11 (1) -- 3-03 (5) -- 5-14 (6)
154. Jason Blair -- 4-04 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-04 (3)
155. Jordan Osborne -- 2-02 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-02 (1)
156. Matt Greenblatt -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)
