EUFALA, Ala. (Press release: Major League Fishing) – Fishing improved on Wednesday, but it was still not an easy day for tournament participants on Thursday at Lake Eufaula. Unless your name is Bryan Thrift. Thrift weighed 14 basses for a total of 40 pounds and 8 ounces on Thursday to get easily to victory in the knockout round (Group B) on Day 4 REDCREST 2021, the Bass Pro Tour Championship on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. The five-day competition featured 40 of the world’s best anglers from the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour, competing for a cash prize of US $ 300,000.
Thrift is now advancing to Championship Friday together with pros Ott DeFoe, Michael Neal, Takahiro Omori and Anthony Gagliardi. “I made the championship round of my very first REDCREST and I’m really excited,” said Thrift. “I feel like I have just enough fish to have at least one chance. I’m a little nervous – a lot of people watched me catch them from my only spot this morning, and that’s where I caught most of my fish this week. So I really hope I can start doing it tomorrow. Hopefully there will be a few more, and if so, then I think we have a chance. “
Despite four consecutive days of sunny skies and warmer temperatures, many of which had predicted the fish would hit shore, Thrift has done most of its offshore fishing with a floating lure and a wobbly head rig. “I know they’re on the way to the bank anytime now,” Thrift said. “I went into a bag today and saw six or seven basses cruising around – not big ones yet – but up there I saw the bass. I definitely think they’re getting to the bank soon, but they’re not entirely right just yet. I’ll probably go back tomorrow and see what happens. I have a lot of things to do tomorrow. I still have a few things left that I didn’t fish today that hopefully could be good, but you never know. “
Michael Neal continued his REDCREST heroics at the last minute Thursday, fitting in with what he started earlier this week. After Neal had just 4 seconds to advance from Tuesday’s qualifying round in the closing stages, Neal caught two 3½-pounders in the final six minutes on Thursday to jump from sixth to third and advance to the final day.
“What a day. I don’t know how to put myself in this position again and again – every time right at the cut,” said Neal. “It’s getting kind of old. It’s fun, don’t get me wrong. But I want one someday Have a strong start. Who knows, maybe tomorrow is the day. “I think I held onto the spinnerbait a little too long today,” Neal continued. “They bit it really well this morning, and then the sun came up and it was calm, I should have gone jerkbait a lot earlier. It’s a lesson we learned for tomorrow and I’m very happy to make it. Everything’s going back to zero and now it’s everyone’s ball game. “
The top five professionals who made the cut and will rise to the championship on Lake Eufaula on Friday are:
1. Bryan Thrift from Shelby, NC, 14 basses, 40-8
2. Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tenn., Seven Basses, 23-14
3. Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn., Seven Basses, 20-9
4. Takahiro Omori from Tokyo, Japan, seven basses, 19-10
5. Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, SC, five basses, 18-6
7. Jordan Lee from Cullman, Ala., Five Basses, 15-8
The five professionals who were eliminated from the competition on Thursday are:
6. Edwin Evers from Talala, Okla., Six Basses, 15-14
7. Jordan Lee from Cullman, Ala., Five Basses, 15-8
8. Alton Jones Jr. of Waco, Texas, four bass, 11-11
9. Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., Two Basses, 6-14
10. Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Florida, two basses, 6-5
The full results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
In total, there were 59 basses weighing 189 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the 10 pros in Group B on Thursday.
Thrift and DeFoe share the $ 1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award on Thursday. Berkley is giving away $ 1,000 to the angler who weighs the biggest bass each day and a $ 7,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the biggest bass in the tournament.
At REDCREST 2021, the entire field of anglers took part in the two-day qualifying round on days 1 (Monday) and 2 (Tuesday) of the event. The field was reduced to the top 20 based on the cumulative total weight of two days. The remaining 20 anglers were split into two groups for the knockout round – 10 (Group A) participated on Day 3 (Wednesday) and 10 (Group B) on Day 4 (Thursday). The top five anglers in each group, based on the total weight on a day, will now advance to the championship round – the fifth and final day of competition (Friday) on which the weights are zeroed and the angler with the highest total weight on the last day will be crowned the REDCREST 2021 champion.
The 10 anglers who will compete in the final championship round at Lake Eufaula on Friday are:
Zack Birge from Blanchard, Okla.
Dustin Connell from Clanton, Ala.
Mark Davis from Mount Ida, Ark.
Ott DeFoe from Blaine, Tenn.
David Dudley from Lynchburg, Va.
Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, SC
Michael Neal of Dayton, Tenn.
Takahiro Omori from Tokyo, Japan
Bryan Thrift from Shelby, NC
Jacob Wheeler of Harrison, Tenn.
The final 10 anglers in the competition collectively have four FLW Cup titles, three Bassmaster Classic wins, and 10 Angler of the Year (AOY) titles.
REDCREST 2021 The Bass Pro Tour Championship at Lake Eufaula presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage is hosted by the Eufaula Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.
Entry is limited to competing anglers, key staff, and media who only cover the event. Fans are encouraged to attend the event online through the MLF NOW! ® Live stream and the SCORETRACKER® reporting can be followed at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The Bass Pro Tour 2020 featured 80 of the world’s best professional anglers, competing in five regular season tournaments around the country that were shortened by COVID. The 40 best anglers in the AOY rating qualified for participation in the Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2021 after the five events presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage.
The MLF NOW! ® Broadcast team of Chad McKee, Marty Stone and JT Kenney will be breaking down the expanded promotion on each competition day from 7:45 am to 4:30 pm. MLF NOW! ® is broadcast live MajorLeagueFishing.com. and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
The television coverage of REDCREST 2021, presented by Old Wisconsin Sausage, the Bass Pro Tour Championship, will be shown in two two-hour episodes that will premiere on July 3 at 7 a.m. ET on the Discovery Channel. A one-hour special episode of MLF Inside the REDCREST premieres on Sunday, July 18 at 2:00 p.m. (CET) on CBS. New MLF episodes premier every Saturday morning on the Discovery Channel, with additional re-broadcasts on the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel. Each two-hour reality-based episode goes into detail on each competition day. For full details and updated information on REDCREST 2021, please visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.
About Major League Fishing Founded in 2011, Major League Fishing (MLF) brings the high-intensity sport of competitive bass fishing to America’s living room on Outdoor Channel, Discovery, CBS, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, Sportsman Channel, and more . Ask on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Major League Fishing remains number one on Outdoor Channel for five years, according to Nielsen Ratings, and MLF premiered as the number one outdoor show in its 2019 time slot on Discovery. In 2019, MLF acquired FLW, adding the world’s largest grassroots fishing organization in the world, including the strongest professional bass fishing tour in the five largest fish format, the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers, as well as that of TH Marine presented MLF Toyota Series and the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League, MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI and MLF US Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing.
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