Missouri angler takes big lead in BFL
HOT SPRINGS — Connor Cunningham of Springfield, Mo., took a big lead after the first round of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American championship Thursday at Lake Hamilton.
The tournament, which Hot Springs is hosting for a record sixth time, features the top 49 boaters and top 49 co-anglers in Major League Fishing’s Bass Fishing League through Saturday. The top boater will win a prize package worth up to $120,000, and the top co-angler will win $50,000.
The Bass Fishing League is an amateur circuit composed of one-day weekend tournaments around the United States. It has been a springboard into the lucrative pro circuit for many prominent anglers over the decades.
Cunningham gave himself a formidable advantage by establishing a 4-pound, 10-ounce advantage over Ryan Powroznik of Richmond, Va., during miserly conditions on a notoriously stingy Lake Hamilton. Cunningham registered five bass that weighed 17 pounds, 8 ounces. He received a 4-ounce penalty for weighing in a dead fish.
Cunningham was highly efficient. He got only five bites all day, but he boated them all. He said he got his first bite at 8:30 a.m., and his last bite at 1:30 p.m.
“It looks really good on paper,” Cunningham said. “I caught the fifth keeper schooling. I caught others doing a whole variety of techniques. None of of those fish knew each other, I’ll put it that way. They were all over the place.”
Cunningham said there is a lot of pressure to compose a winning pattern on a lake as small as Lake Hamilton in a compressed time when the weather changes as quickly as it did between Wednesday and Thursday.
“You have to tune it out,” Cunningham said. “Everyone else is dealing with the same conditions.”
Cunningham said there is some comfort entering the second round with a big lead, but he said he’s going to keep the throttle down.
“I got really lucky today, but I could come in with zero tomorrow,” Cunningham said. “In a tournament like this, you have to swing for the fences. I’ve got to tune it all out, but that’s easier said than done with this much on the line.”
Although his weight was lighter, Powroznik said he caught 25 fish Thursday. He said he started slowly, partly because somebody else beat him to his first spot. However, he said he was pleased with his weight and that he will be positioned well if he duplicates it today.
“I’m a little surprised I still got some bites where [I] did,” Powroznik said. “I caught my fish offshore. I spent about four days up here two weeks ago, and I had a couple of key bites everyday in practice. It set up a little different today, so I had to set up a little different in my presentation. I figure I’m around 13 or 14 pounds per day, so I’m pleased.”
Closely trailing Powroznik is Sean Wieda of Alexandria, Ky., who was credited with five bass weighing 14-8. He also took a 4-ounce penalty for a dead fish. He said he caught only nine keepers Thursday, but he expects his fortunes to improve when the sun comes out today.
“The sun would be better for my shallow fish and my deep fish,” Wieda said. “The thing that’s challenging on this lake is it’s hard to get on a pattern. I caught some shallow, and then I caught one out here in 20 feet of water. I have to stay nimble tomorrow and rotate through several techniques.”
Billy Rusher of Lincoln led the co-angler division after the first round with a small cushion over Evan Eldred of Gaines, Mich. Rusher caught five bass that weighed 11-4. Eldred caught five that weighed 9-15.
“I had a limit by 9 [a.m.],” Rusher said. “When the rain hit, it shut it down for me. When the rain quit, I finished my limit and culled a few times.”
Rusher caught all of his fish on one lure, but he got a big boost from a bass that weighed 4-11.
“I fished slow” Rusher said. “I tried to catch them this morning on topwater but I couldn’t make it work. I caught all my fish on one bait. I fished it hard. It was a slow presentation, a lot of shake, rattle and roll.”
Takeoff today will be at 6:30 a.m. at the Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery. The weigh-in will begin at 2:30 p.m. The 10 anglers and 10 co-anglers with the heaviest cumulative two-day weights will fish Saturday in the championship round.