bigger in texas
I
f you visit the Major League
Fishing website and scroll
through the daily results from
the 2020 Bass Pro Tour General Tire
Stage Three Presented by TrueTimber at
Lake Fork and Lake Athens, the most
telling stat column is on the far right:
Largest Fish.
It reads like a major league slugfest,
with a wad of 5-pounders, 6-pounders
and 7-pounders, plus a few 8s, 9s and
10s for good measure. To compete in
Texas, the BPT’s best needed giant bass
and lots of them.
Among the tournament leaders was
Justin Atkins, a former FLW Cup champion
who’s already proven himself a
capable pro at just 30 years old. The bass
shown here was caught by Atkins on the
second day of the Qualifying Round to
help him advance to the Knockout
Round. He eventually finished ninth.
Amazingly, this hawg wasn’t Atkins’
biggest of the event. That honor goes to
the 10-pound, 8-ounce fish he caught on
the first day of the Qualifying Round to
establish the record for largest bass in a
BPT event.
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
JUNE-JULY 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM 9