Top 5 Patterns from Lake Murray – Day 3
4. Anthony Gagliardi – Prosperity, S.C. – 51-4 (15)
Photo - Charles Waldorf If there is anyone Becker may be worried about most, it’s Anthony Gagliardi. After all, he was the obvious pre-tournament favorite thanks to being a local who has won more than once at the top level on Murray.
Then again, Gagliardi admits he’s surprised he’s done as well as he has this week.
“I keep telling people, I don’t fish here much during this time of the year,” says the 2014 FLW Cup champion. “I have a handful of spots I’ve caught them before, but they weren’t there in practice. So, I just went practicing like everyone else.”
Hence why he started Day 1 sight fishing. But eventually, he made the switch to the herring spawn, and his weights have kept going up, with today being his best day all week.
“I had a good day today,” says Gagliardi. “I caught more than 20 some fish, and I lost a legit 6 just as the rain started. But as soon as the rain quit I caught fish on my last five casts of the day. They just didn’t like that rain.”
Gagliardi’s 7-15 Wins Big Bass of the Day
Photo Kyle Wood - In a normal five-fish-limit tournament, five fish for 21-1 would be nothing to shake your head at, especially when your kicker is a 7-15, and the biggest bass caught in your group. Still, Anthony Gagliardi finds himself sitting in 15th place and 9-12 below the Toro Cut Line.
“If I didn’t catch that 7-15, I could be in a whole lot of trouble,” Gagliardi admitted. “Flipping these laydowns, I’m not going to catch a ton of fish to be able to keep pace with these guys. But I knew I was bound to catch a big one doing this, and I was right.”
While his focus is advancing to the Knockout Round, it’s easy for Gagliardi to find a silver lining in his performance thanks to his Berkley Big Bass of the Day. The South Carolina pro was fishing laydowns in Period 2 when he set the hook on the 7-15 lunker.
“I came up to a laydown I had marked during practice that had some depth to it,” Gagliardi recapped. “I knew when I pulled up it was going to be good. I made a pretty long cast beside the laydown and the fish got it on the fall.”
Gagliardi was using a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Creature Hawg with a 5/16 tungsten weight to go along with a Level 7-foot-6 Heavy Flippin’ Stick and 50-pound Gamma Torque braid to catch the near-8-pounder. He knows he has work to do if he wants to advance to the Knockout Round, but if his 7-15 holds on for the big bass in his group, Gagliardi admits he wouldn’t be too upset heading home early if it meant he had $25,000.
“Most of the time, that ride home after you get knocked out isn’t a fun one,” Gagliardi said. “But if I’m going home with $25,000 in my pocket, I’m going to be just fine. Don’t get me wrong, I want to win, but it’s nice to have a backup plan.”