TBF Championship Midday Update Day 2

Tougher conditions promise to shake up the top 10

Just when anglers held out hope that fishing couldn’t get any tougher on Table Rock Lake after Thursday’s opening round of the 2016 The Bass Federation National Championship, it did – at least in Friday’s morning session.

Most likely the weather had something to do with that, because whatever was working for the top anglers on Thursday needed more of the same type of weather in round two. They didn’t get it. In fact, Friday morning’s weather was far removed from Thursday’s in terms of sunshine and warmth. Where the sun played peekaboo with the clouds in the balmy opening round, it was dreary and chilly on day two.

Tournament leader Daniel Gray had his limit of five bass by 10 a.m. on day one but had only two in the livewell by the same time Friday morning, and he had to measure one of those to make sure it met the 15-inch minimum size requirement. Gray says the fish didn’t seem to be as aggressive, nor as close to the bank. The lake has dropped by a few inches since Thursday, which might explain why the fish seem to have pulled away from the shoreline temporarily in some areas. Gray also surmises that the lack of sunshine might have caused bass to pull away from wood cover and roam more freely

Stan Fisher, who boated day one’s biggest fish – a 6-pound, 1-ounce largemouth – didn’t have a keeper in the boat as of 11 a.m. He says bass would occasionally come up and slap at the Zara Spook he was using, but wouldn’t commit. Likewise, eighth-place angler Brian LaClair had only one small keeper by noon Friday after weighing in a limit on day one.

If the top 10 anglers hope to move up or retain their places, they’ll have to scramble this afternoon before the 3 p.m. weigh-in begins at Port of Kimberling Resort & Marina. In the meantime, no doubt other fishermen who weren’t so fortunate Thursday will have more to show today.