ROUNDING OUT THE TITLE TOP 10
KYLE HALL
Granbury , TX Championship Round weight : 22-0
2020 Polaris Rookie of the Year Kyle Hall hails from Texas , where he didn ’ t grow up targeting fish of the bronze variety . But like many Southern anglers , Hall is consumed with catching smallies , so much so that he fished in the Northern Division of the Toyota Series in 2018 and 2019 , simultaneously preparing himself for a tremendously successful rookie year on the Pro Circuit that featured a couple killer smallmouth derbies .
Hall finished 26th in the Lake Erie Super Tournament a couple weeks prior to the TITLE , locking up ROY and cashing an $ 11,000 check in the process . It was good practice for Sturgeon Bay , clearly , and the 23-year-old rode that momentum to a top 5 in his first-ever Pro Circuit championship event .
Still , it took Hall a little time to settle in on Sturgeon Bay , finishing his first day of fishing with just six scorable bass for 20-15 . He went on to catch the fourth-best weight of day four , making the Knockout Round by just 1 pound , 2 ounces .
Fifty-nine pounds , 11 ounces later , Hall found himself in the Championship Round , fishing against some of the best bass anglers in the world on the biggest stage under the brightest lights . Even at 23 , the spotlight didn ’ t seem to faze the quiet and unassuming rookie , and he now has a TITLE top 5 to show for it .
SPENCER SHUFFIELD
Hot Springs , AR Championship Round weight : 21-7
Just five years ago , Spencer Shuffield hit rock bottom . Financial hardships and a rocky marriage forced the former Pro Circuit angler out of the spotlight and back home to Arkansas , where he sold his fishing gear and gave up on the dream . Shuffield found renewed inspiration in his faith , though , and hit the local tournament trails , winning just about everything in Arkansas until he was financially ready to make a comeback at the pro level .
Fast-forward to about seven months after his comeback began on Sam Rayburn and Shuffield – the runner-up in the 2020 Angler of the Year race – has one heck of a season to show for his perseverance .
Despite spending the last few years fishing down South , Shuffield absolutely loves catching Northern smallmouth , which he showcased with a top 5 on Lake Erie prior to the TITLE . At Sturgeon Bay , he once again had an opportunity to chase big brown fish , and he didn ’ t waste it .
Shuffield finished Group B ’ s Qualifying Round in second place and the Knockout Round in first after catching 86-13 on day five . He left the water that day absolutely amped up about the schools he found that afternoon , but they vanished on him in the Championship Round . He didn ’ t catch his first scorable bass until 3:28 p . m .
Still , Shuffield went on a tear from there , landing six bass for 21-7 to lock up sixth place in what could otherwise have been a disastrous final day , capping off a magical season for the man who found his rebirth through fishing .
PHOTO BY JODY WHITE PHOTO BY KYLE WOOD PHOTO BY CHARLES WALDORF
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GRAE BUCK
Green Lane , PA Championship Round weight : 20-11
Consistency is key in any multi-day tournament . Just ask Grae Buck , who finished the Group A Qualifying Round in fourth place and Knockout Round in third . It didn ’ t translate to a top-5 finish in the Championship Round , but sometimes nomadic Northern smallies can get the best of even the most experienced anglers .
Buck , who is originally from Pennsylvania and has made a name for himself as one of the premier smallmouth anglers in his four years on the Pro Circuit , finished the 2020 regular season third in AOY points , which only proves how skilled he is at catching more than just brown fish . Buck and Kyle Hall shared some water throughout the event , taking advantage of some big schools that sustained the duo in making the Championship Round . On the final day , though , those fish had moved elsewhere , and both Buck and Hall had to do some scrambling to make the most of it .
Buck landed four scorable bass in the first couple hours of fishing , but knowing it wasn ’ t going to be enough to contend for the victory , he made a move and trailered to some new water where managed to land just one scorable bass at 3:34 p . m .
32 FLWFISHING . COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2020