Connell rockets to early lead on Chowan River
EDENTON, N.C. — Like the rest of the Bass Pro Tour field, Dustin Connell arrived at the Chowan River with no idea what to expect during U.S. Air Force Stage Five Presented by WIX Filters. Turns out, as is the case just about everywhere, he didn’t need much time to find a healthy population of bass in the coastal river.
Connell, already a winner at Stage One on Toledo Bend and REDCREST on Lay Lake this year, boated 19 scorable bass totaling 47 pounds, 8 ounces during the first day of qualifying. That gives him a 16-5 cushion over Mark Daniels Jr. atop the leaderboard in Group A. Behind Connell, the standings are much more tightly bunched, with second through fifth place separated by 3-11.
Overall, the debut day of national tournament competition on the Chowan River yielded plenty of scorable bass – 24 of the 39 anglers in Group A totaled at least 10 pounds – plus a few big ones. Six largemouth over 5 pounds hit the scales, headlined by Martin Villa’s 7-7, which earned him the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Bonus.
Complete results can be found here.
Connell executes fast start strategy
Dustin Connell landed five scorable bass for 12-11 in the first hour. Photo by Phoenix Moore
While Connell had never visited the Chowan River prior to official practice for Stage Five, he entered Tuesday with a lofty goal: stack enough weight on SCORETRACKER® that he could devote the second day of qualifying entirely to practice.
Mission accomplished.
With more than 30 pounds of cushion over 10th place, Connell’s spot in the Knockout Round should be secure. That’s key for two reasons: Every additional chance to scout new water on the vast, cover-rich Chowan River is especially valuable given the field’s lack of history on the fishery, and the wind is forecast to blow hard out of the southwest on Thursday. With wind being the primary driver of current and water level on the Albemarle Sound tributary, that could drop the water and change the bite.
“I really wanted to catch them good today just because I know that we’ve got a lot of wind coming in on Thursday, on our (Group A’s) second day,” Connell explained. “And I didn’t want to put myself in a bind on Thursday trying to fight the wind. It may blow right down the chute. The wind tide changes a lot of things. So that was what I really wanted to do today is just go ahead and make this cut and be done with it.”
While the Chowan doesn’t have a strong natural current, Connell used the moving-water knowledge he honed growing up on the Coosa River in Alabama to identify a few likely locations during practice based on the wind current. It didn’t take long for those areas to produce Tuesday, as Connell landed five scorable bass for 12-11 in the first hour.
“I love fishing current, so I understand what current does to fish; I know how they act,” Connell said. “Coming here, I’ve never seen the place before. I had three days of practice, and I just kind of found me an area that I liked and then I just went from there.”
As the day progressed, Connell successfully expanded his pattern elsewhere. His most frenetic flurry came shortly after noon, when he added 11-7 to his total with five bass in just 13 minutes. By the end of the day, he had returned to practice mode, running new water.
While Connell didn’t want to reveal any details about how he’s catching his fish, he did say he’s optimistic he can continue to replicate his success in more areas. Don’t expect SCORETRACKER® to reflect that when he returns to the water Thursday, though.
“I don’t plan on catching any,” Connell said. “I’m just going to go practice and see what I can muster up.”
Overall, Connell likes what he’s seen from the Chowan River during its first few days hosting a field of touring pros.
“This place is incredible,” he said. “It’s full of bass, and it’s a very unique place just because of the salt content and the way these fish move. They’ll eat crabs, they’ll eat shad, it just depends on what section of the river you’re in. But it’s a very, very healthy fishery.”
What’s next for Stage Five
The 39 anglers in Group B will get their first taste of competition on the Chowan River Wednesday. Then, Group A will return to the water Thursday with 10 spots in the Knockout Round up for grabs. Through one day, Mark Davis sits in 10th place with 17-7, but he’s just 1 ounce ahead of Nick LeBrun, and four other anglers are within 3 pounds of his total, which should make for a compelling scramble to stay above the cut line.
Keep up with the live leaderboard on SCORETRACKER® and watch the action on MLFNOW! Thursday through Sunday from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. ET each day.
Fishing Clash Angler of the Year
One of the few things Connell hasn’t accomplished during his Major League Fishing career is claiming an Angler of the Year crown. Arriving at the Chowan River in third place of this year’s Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race, he looks like he’ll have a legitimate shot down the stretch.
Connell entered Stage Five 25.5 points behind leader Jacob Wheeler and 13.5 behind Alton Jones Jr. While Wheeler is competing in Group B this week, Jones is also positioned to make the Knockout Round, although he still has a bit of work to do Thursday to secure his spot among the Top 10. Jones finished the day in seventh place with 24-7.
Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.
The post Connell rockets to early lead on Chowan River appeared first on Major League Fishing.
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