Only four anglers who were in the top 10 on Day 1 were still there on Day 2 in the NOCO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville. And those dropping out, some precipitously, included four of the top five from Day 1. John Cox fell out of the top 40 cut, from 4th to 53rd. Austin Felix almost did, dropping from 7th to 39th.
Brandon Cobb jumped from 6th to 1st with the second-heaviest bag of the day – 17 pounds, 11 ounces. Only Wes Logan weighed a heavier limit Thursday – 18-10, and it propelled him from 21st place to 2nd.
Expect a similar shakeup on Friday. However only 40 anglers will be fishing. Taku Ito was the last man in the two-day/top 40 cut, and he earned it via a tiebreaker over Brett Preuett. Both anglers had 21-8. The tiebreaker is heaviest bag, and Ito took it with 11-4 to Preuett’s 11-3 on Day 1.
This is anybody’s tournament. Cobb has only a 1-13 lead over 2nd place Logan. And there’s only a 7-ounce difference between 3rd place Scott Canterbury and 8th place Stetson Blaylock.
There were more 5-bass limits brought to the scales on Day 2 – 55, after there were only 46 on Day 1. Chris Zaldain’s 8-pound, 6-ounce bass caught on Day 1 remains big bass of the tournament. Bryan Schmitt took Day 2 honors with a 6-3.