Gagliardi qualified for the Knockout Round by staying deep, but put all of his eggs in the shallow-water basket for his final two days of fishing.
“The majority of my fish the first two days were out deeper on ledges or in deeper grass,” he said. “I went shallow late in the day during the Knockout Round and made a big run to make it to the Championship Round. Maybe against better judgment, I stayed shallow all day on the last day and tried to make it work.”
Out deep, Gagliardi fished a ¼-ounce Buckeye Spot Remover jighead with a Berkley MaxScent Hit Worm in green pumpkin as well as casting a Berkley J-Walker topwater bait when a fish showed itself.
His shallow area was less than two feet of water and he attacked it with a wacky-rigged Berkley PowerBait Power Nightcrawler in the natural color.
“It was a mix of shallow grass and the fish were laying in the shade,” he said of his shallow area. “It wasn’t in a backwater but wasn’t on the main river either. It’s a place I’ve caught them well in the past, including during the Pro Circuit event last year.”
Results
MAJOR LEAGUE FISHING BASS PRO TOUR 2024 SCHEDULE:
Jan. 30- Feb. 4 Stage One at Toledo Bend Many, La.
Hosted by Toledo Bend Lake Country
Feb. 20-25 Stage Two at Santee Cooper Lakes Clarendon County, S.C.
Hosted by the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce
March 14-17 REDCREST 2024 at Lay Lake Birmingham, Ala.
Hosted by the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau
April 9-14 Stage Three at Dale Hollow Lake Byrdstown, Tenn.
Hosted by the Byrdstown-Pickett County Chamber of Commerce
April 30- May 5 Stage Four at Lake Eufaula Eufaula, Okla.
Hosted by Vision Eufaula
May 18-23 General Tire Heavy Hitters at Kissimmee Chain Kissimmee, Fla.
Hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission
June 4-9 Stage Five at the Chowan River Edenton, N.C.
Hosted by the Town of Edenton, the Chowan County Tourism Development Authority and Harbor Towns Cruises
June 25-30 Stage Six at the James River Richmond, Va.
Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism