By Tyler Brinks, Bass Pro Tour
RICHMOND, Va. — The James River continues to kick out impressive numbers of bass under the sweltering Virginia heat at General Tire Stage Six Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. The James has proven to be a very healthy fishery through four days of competition, the latest example being the 43 bass loaded onto SCORETRACKER® by Nick LeBrunto the tune of 95 pounds, 3 ounces to win Group B.
With a 20-8 lead over second place heading into Friday and a cushion of more than 30 pounds over the elimination line, LeBrun was never in doubt of advancing to the Knockout Round and spent most of his time looking for more water. Still, LeBrun added another 21-9 to secure a nearly 10-pound margin over second-place angler Justin Lucas, who had a day’s best 44-7 on 18 bass.
There was plenty of shuffling in the standings below LeBrun, but only one new entrant into the Top 10 who wasn’t there to begin the day. Brent Ehrler jumped from 13th into the final spot, and Dustin Connell fell from fourth to 11th.
As the winner of the 2022 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit stop on the James, LeBrun has the most recent pro-level success in the field, and he’s picking up right where he left off. His 73-10 on his first competition day would have been enough to advance to the Knockout Round, but he added some padding to his total and more information to his plan for the rest of the event.
With the cushion he had from his banner first day, LeBrun primarily spent Friday looking for a big bite to help his cause for Heavy Hitters.
“My game plan today was to catch a 5-pounder, but I never had that big bite,” LeBrun said. “I threw topwater most of the day to get a big one, but it never happened. But, I still caught some scorables and learned a little bit.”
LeBrun fished new water today but still monitored his best areas throughout the day. How many casts did he make in his primary areas?
“None,” LeBrun said. “I fished some good stuff but saved all of the main juice. I have two different areas, and one was getting a little pressure. The other one, I never saw a boat fishing it, and I ran past it a few times during the day. That was encouraging to see.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s Knockout Round, LeBrun is excited about the possibility of advancing to the Championship Round but is also tempering those expectations based on the tide schedule.
“I’m going to the spots that were good to me on the first day and hoping I can get on another flurry on the outgoing tide,” he said. “That may not happen until the second period, though, because the tide keeps shifting later and later every day. The tide is going to be different and also during much hotter weather. That’s my big ‘what if?’ that I’m thinking right now.”
Overall, LeBrun likes his chances and feels right at home on the James, given his success in the past two years.
“I fished carefree today, and I’m excited for tomorrow,” LeBrun said. “I’m glad I was in Group B this time so I can get back there tomorrow without an off day without having to think about it. I’m excited to see what’s going to happen tomorrow.”
As for what he thinks it will take to advance, LeBrun believes things are getting more challenging each day.
“It may take 40 or 45 pounds, somewhere in there, to advance,” he said. “There will be a lot of recreational traffic since it’s a weekend and the Chickahominy has been getting beat on with all the pressure. It might not even take that much to move on.”
On a day with very little movement on SCORETRACKER, California’s Ehrler was the only angler who vaulted into the Knockout Round that wasn’t inside the cut when the day began. That alone is a win for Ehrler.
“I feel good because, at this point in the event, I can’t fall any more places,” he said. “The last one to make it in your group, 20th place, is the worst I can do even if I don’t catch another bass.”
His hesitation about the Knockout Round bite stems from the tide, but he also predicts some fireworks at the end of the day.
“I don’t like the tide because we keep losing a little bit of the best bite every day,” Ehrler said. “We’ll catch a little bit of it tomorrow in the last 45 minutes, which should make things very interesting. I could see a guy 15 pounds out of the cut and way down the standings make a huge rally to make it. You have to be at the right place at the right time, and I don’t know where that will be, so I’ll be rotating spots a lot tomorrow.”
The top 10 pros from Group B that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on James River are:
1st: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 43 bass, 95-3
2nd: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 35 bass, 85-6
3rd: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 40 bass, 84-7
4th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 37 bass, 81-11
5th: Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 35 bass, 80-5
6th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 42 bass, 80-3
7th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 37 bass, 78-6
8th: Greg Vinson, Wetumka, Ala., 34 bass, 75-5
9th: Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., 28 bass, 73-4
10th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 33 bass, 73-4