Thirty-year-old Elite Series rookie Bryan New was already having a magical day. It got better just after 1 o’clock. New had 21 pounds in the boat, and had moved, looking for an upgrade. He was thinking about moving again.
“I just said I don’t like this, I’m fixing to leave,” shouted New as he boated his biggest bass of the day, a 5-4, giving him 23-3 on the day and 76-6 for the tournament. He started the day in 6th place, 5-15 out of first.
But 15 minutes later, New’s day got even better when he flipped a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass in the boat.
“I think I really like this place now,” he said with a smile. “I don’t think I’m going to leave it.”
New culled a 3-11 with a the 5-13 and now has 25-5 on the day and a 10-pound lead over his closest competitor.