Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Raleigh, North Carolina pro Mike Corbishley takes over the lead on Lake Hartwell with a two-day total weight of 30 pounds. After starting the event with 12 pounds, 9 ounces on day one, he brought in the biggest bag of the tournament on day two, weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces.
Corbishley found a good rotation on day two and caught two largemouths, which made the difference from day one.
“The overcast sky helped, and I hit things right today,” he said. “On Hartwell, if you’re not hitting things correctly, you can catch 7 pounds, but if you’re on, it’s 17 pounds. I had a terrible practice, so today I fished new water, and it worked out.”
He kept the details of his strategy under wraps for now and will be on Live Coverage tomorrow. Sharing water with other top anglers, he’s covering a lot of ground efficiently and capitalizing on bigger bites.
“I had two largemouths today and none on day one,” he added. “Those fish go a long way, and with the wind and storms projected for tomorrow, it should make things better for us.”
John Cox
John Cox added 16 pounds, 1 ounce on day two to his day one weight of 12 pounds, 12 ounces, bringing his two-day total to 28 pounds, 13 ounces. Cox now sits in second place, having made two crucial culls right before the rain started, salvaging his day on a familiar and successful spot.
In typical John Cox fashion, he’s relying on his shallow game without any electronics on his boat. He’s been running the entire lake, burning almost a tank of gas each day, and managing to catch a couple of the right fish daily.
“It’s very random for me,” Cox said. “I fished a lot of swimbaits – Berkley Cull Shad and Berkley Nessie – but those fish are so smart. They follow it to the boat, but it’s hard to get a bite. You almost have to land it on one’s head to get a reaction bite.”
With two small fish in his box later in the day, Cox caught a 3-pounder and a 4-pounder to cull up to his total weight. He’s unsure what the wind will bring tomorrow.
“I am not getting many bites each day at all, and with the weather coming in, everything will probably bite better. I am going to fish some of the same spots and a bunch of new stuff and see what happens.”
Jason Burroughs
With 15 pounds, 9 ounces on day one and a tougher day two with 11 pounds, 11 ounces, Jason Burroughs slides into third place with a two-day total weight of 27 pounds, 4 ounces.
“To be honest, I have no idea what changed for me,” he said. “They just wouldn’t commit; they flashed and fooled with it, doing everything except eating the bait. I’m around the right-sized fish, but I’m not sure what changed. It shouldn’t get worse with the wind tomorrow, but I’ll sleep on it and maybe gamble in the morning to try to win the tournament.”
Michael Stout
Adding 13 pounds, 4 ounces to his day one weight of 13 pounds, 12 ounces, Michael Stout sits in fourth place going into Showdown Saturday with a two-day total weight of 27 pounds. During practice, the Tennessee pro found a steady bite but was unsure what to expect on day one.
“I was catching 2.5-pound fish consistently during practice, but I fished new water each day, so I had no idea what the potential would be,” he said. “On day one, I ran the good stuff, and today I fished my best spots again. I have been fortunate to catch one good fish each day thus far.”
Stout is fishing similarly to others but his approach and bait are slightly different. His presentation has allowed him to get more bites each day and rotate through a few bigger average fish. With wind expected on Showdown Saturday, he is unsure how it will affect the bite.
“I spent a couple of hours today preparing for the wind tomorrow,” he added. “I am hopeful I can catch a few more tomorrow doing the same thing, but I may have to fish new water again to get out of the wind.”
Buddy Gross
Sitting in fifth place after day one with 15 pounds, 14 ounces, Buddy Gross added 10 pounds, 13 ounces on day two to sit in the fourth-place spot with a two-day total weight of 26 pounds, 11 ounces.
Rest of the Best:
Trent Palmer 26-10
Kyle Welcher 26-5
Hunter Sales 26-3
Will Harkins 26-2
Richard Kee 25-14
