Bass Fishing Jun - Jul 2020 | Page 11

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