The rain is doing nothing to slow down the first day of Major League Fishing at West Point Lake
Published 10:38 pm Friday, March 1, 2024
According to locals, Day 1 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki at West Point Lake went according to plan. For Dubach, Louisiana, pro Tyler Stewart, it went better than he planned. At 21 pounds, 5 ounces, Stewart leads the way as the only pro to break the 20-pound barrier. However, the event is far from over – tracking the pace numbers to be a challenge at West Point and the rest of the Top 10 is packed pretty tightly.
Stewart brought in a five-bass size limit Friday weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces, to lead Day 1, holding a 2-pound, 2-ounce lead over pro Derik Hudson of Concord, Virginia, who was fired the 19- 3 to end the day in second. Albertville, Alabama, pro Alex Davis was third at 18-13 and Troy Stokes of Trenton, Michigan, was fourth at 17-3. Behind them are a handful of 14- and 15-pound bags, and 12 pounds down to 40th – which is really strong for West Point Lake, though obviously there’s very limited recent tournament history to compare.
The full field of 150 anglers will conclude the two-day opening round on Saturday, with only the top 30 pros based on their two-day combined weights advancing to Championship Sunday. The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit LaGrange , features a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025.
Weighing in three largemouths over 4 pounds, Stewart turned around a miserable practice in a big way.
“My roommates would call me a sandbagger,” Stewart joked. “I told them yesterday that if I had 10 pounds, I’d be happy. I don’t know if they really just bit the rain (today), but it’s better than I expected.
“It was just one of those days where you can’t make a wrong decision,” he added. “I had a terrible practice and just went out with a clear mind and kept my head down. I ran into some good spots with big fish and got them in the boat.”
The smallest lake on the schedule, there’s nothing you can do to get away from other anglers. That could be a cause for concern as the week goes on as fishing pressure could come on in a big way. Still, Stewart hopes he can replicate what worked on Day 1 (maybe not at 20 pounds again, but to some degree).
“There are a lot of fish in the places I fish; I think they could definitely replenish, because the fish are moving in those areas,” he said. “I had a lot of bites today that I didn’t hook, the fish were just slapping the bait and stuff, so I know there are more fish. in the place.”
Worst case scenario, Stewart thought he found a backup bass.
“This afternoon, I went and targeted some spotted bass,” he said. “I caught four or five and some 2-pounders I had to throw back. My game plan tomorrow is to go and try to catch some big spots, and if I have to go catch some spots, I don’t know I will, but I feel like I can.”
The top 20 pros after Day 1 at West Point Lake are:
1st: Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., five bass, 21-5
2nd: Derik Hudson, Concord, Va., five bass, 19-3
3rd: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 18-13
4th: Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 17-3
5th: Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., five bass, 15-15
6th: Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 15-8
7th: Charlie Williams, LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 15-6
8th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 15-3
9th: Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 14-15
10th: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., five bass, 14-13
11th: Alec Morrison, Peru, NY, five bass, 14-10
11th: Darrell Ivey Jr., Lebanon, Mo., five bass, 14-10
13th: Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, five bass, 14-5
14th: Brian Gay, LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 13-12
15th: Matt Baty, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 13-8
16th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, five bass, 13-7
17th: Taylor Parker, Lake View, Ala., five bass, 13-6
17th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 13-6
17th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill, five bass, 13-6
20th: Ryan Armstrong, Robinson, Ill., five bass, 13-5
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Baty earned the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award on Friday with a largemouth bass that weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces.
Overall, there were 662 bass weighing 1,420 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 143 pros on Friday. The catch included 117 five-bass limits.
In the Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, a full field of 150 anglers compete in two-day opening rounds on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, will advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for a grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will be determined by the heaviest three-day combined weight and receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
Anglers will be launched at 7 am ET each day from the Pyne Road Park Mega Ramp, located at 4481 Roanoke Road in LaGrange. Weigh-ins will also be held on the ramp and begin at 3 pm Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and are also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage on MajorLeagueFishing .com.
The MLFNOW! The broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on all three days of competition from 7:30 am to 2:45 pm ET. MLFNOW! will be streamed live on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at West Point Lake Presented by Suzuki will air as a two-hour episode, beginning at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 12 on the CBS Sports Network.
