Bass Fishing 1-26-19

Bass Fishing Jordan Alves

Ratliff competes in first Basspro.com Eastern Open at Harris Chain of Lakes

LEESBURG, Fla. — A cold front and storm cell that hit central Florida last Thursday didn't help Campbellsville's Nick Ratliff as he competed in his first 2019 Basspro.com Eastern Open at the Harris Chain of Lakes last week. The rookie Angler on the Elite stage finished in 128th place. 
 
Out of the 215 anglers in the field, Ratliff was able to catch a limit on Day 1 totaling 6 lbs. 8 oz. overall for the tournament. On Saturday, he hauled in 9 lbs. 7oz. to total 16 lbs. 1 oz.
 
The winner was Whitney Stephens as he reeled in a total of 10 fish for 57 lbs. 8 oz. Stephens registered the biggest bag of the tournament in the opening round with 32 lbs. 12 oz. and came back with the fourth-largest in the final round with 24 lbs. 12 oz. His prize winnings totaled $45,000. 

"I didn't have a good practice and should have spent more time actually fishing in practice instead of running around to different locations," said Ratliff. "I was able to catch decent fish in practice that would definitely help me move up the leaderboard but never got those in either round during the Open. 

"Florida lakes are filled with grass and learning how to fish in those areas is something I am comfortable with. Lake Bemidjii in the College Series has a lot of grass as well and I've had success there. I just couldn't put it together last weekend.

"I went in blind to this tournament not really knowing what to expect but you couple that with a bunch of cold fronts in Florida, it isn't going to be a good recipe for success. Florida fish do not like the cold and it was around 30 degrees each morning at take-off. 

"This is a great learning experience because I was throwing the same baits as the guys who were catching big fish. I threw a chatterbait and jerk bait, but I couldn't find the large groups like they did. That was the difference."
 
Ratliff is not only looking to compete just one season in the Basspro.com Open Championships, but he is looking to gain points and clinch another berth into the GEICO Bassmaster Classic and even possibly the Bassmaster Elite Series. 

The format of each Open is as followed
  • The winner of each Open will receive 200 points, runner-up is 199, third place is 198, and so forth. 
  • The Top 5 anglers from each the Eastern and Central Divisions will qualify for the 2020 Elite Series. 
  • The Top 30 anglers in each division will receive early entry into the 2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens. 
 
Ratliff will now prepare for his second Basspro.com Bassmaster Open in the Central Division at Toledo Bend in Louisiana. That tournament is scheduled for Wednesday-Friday, Feb. 20-22. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Nick Ratliff

Nick Ratliff

Senior
Vine Grove, Ky.

Players Mentioned

Nick Ratliff

Nick Ratliff

Senior
Vine Grove, Ky.